Five Lifetimes
by Translucent Darkness
Summary: Orihime is remembering things...things from a previous life as a powerful witch, and as the memories return, so do the powers she used to possess. Ulquihime.
1. Lie to Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or BtVS.

* * *

Prologue: _9 Years Ago_

A six-year-old girl was walking home from the grocery. Her brother had to work late, and they were out of bread. Unfortunately, she didn't realize she had to make a grocery run until dusk had fallen. It wasn't a big deal really. The grocery was just around the corner from their apartment building, and they lived in a nice neighborhood. Little Inoue Orihime was afraid nonetheless. She didn't like the dark one bit, and, although there were numerous street lamps, there were still dark alleys that contained all sorts of horrible creatures from Orihime's imagination. The six-year-old clutched the bread tightly as she passed a particularly dark alley but stopped suddenly when she heard a voice.

"Are you all alone little girl?" The voice was soft and lilting, but something about it made Orihime freeze in terror. A tall, beautiful woman with long, dark hair appeared from the shadows of the alley. She wore a lacey gown of faded white. Her dark eyes were paradoxically both piercing and distant, as if all of her attention was focused on the child while she was also listening to something only she could hear.

The woman stepped closer to Orihime, causing the little girl to step back, her gray eyes wide. Orihime knew exactly what this person was the moment she saw her. It was almost instinctual. The idea came unbidden to her mind: _This woman is a vampire._ Orihime had no idea how she knew this but she was sure of it.

"Don't be afraid child. Mummy will take care of you." The woman smiled with a bit of manic glee.

Orihime gulped. She tried ordering her legs to run but as of now they could barely hold her weight. They had turned to jelly from her fear.

The woman walked toward the orange-haired girl, moving with a grace only the dead could achieve. She crouched down so she was eye to eye with Orihime. She lightly touched the side of the girl's face, and Orihime flinched. The vampire looked straight into her eyes, and for a moment a surprised expression crossed her face.

The surprise was quickly replaced with a smug, if not a little excited, look. The vampire bubbled and her smile practically shouted, "Take _that_ world!" The vampire didn't say this, of course. Instead she brushed Orihime's hair back in a motherly manner. "Mummy won't hurt the little witch," the vampire said. Orihime was too frightened to contemplate her words or what she had called her. "The stars hum to Mummy. They sing of a tree that became a princess."

"Wha-" Orihime started to speak, but the vampire silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"Shhh…" The vampire became even more distant and began to sway. "The dead want the princess." She clutched her head as though she was in pain. "They call to her while Evil watches." The vampire's gaze sharpened as she turned to Orihime. "Evil is always watching princess. And the dead are rising." Her insane smile returned, and she started to twirl on the spot, as though an orchestra had suddenly struck up a waltz.

Seeing her chance, Orihime ran. She didn't care that she had dropped the bread or that she wasn't really looking where she was going. She just ran.

_

* * *

_

Buffy: Does it ever get easy?  
_Giles_: You mean life?  
_Buffy_: Yeah. Does it get easy?  
_Giles_: What do you want me to say?  
_Buffy_: Lie to me.  
_Giles_: Yes, it's terribly simple. The good guys are always stalwart and true, the bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and, uh, we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after.  
_Buffy_: Liar.

* * *

Chapter 1: Lie to Me

Inoue Orihime, now fifteen, was quietly walking down a brightly lit street of Karakura Town with a big smile on her face. She and Tatsuki were finally going to watch that movie Orihime had been dying to see: _Attack of the Blob People II: Total Annihilation_. It never came out in theaters (Orihime could never figure out why) so she had rented it. The movie was in her purse which flopped about as she bounced down the street on her way to Tatsuki's.

Ordinarily, Orihime felt a little uncomfortable walking around town after dark, but the way to Tatsuki's was riddled with street lamps. Besides, the orange-haired girl's bubbly attitude wasn't going to be dissuaded by a little darkness, and Orihime was a veritable boy-scout as she was always prepared for anything.

The girl's walk was interrupted, however, when an arm shot out from the darkness of a shadowy side-street. The powerful arm gripped Orihime around the neck and lifted her from the ground. A hideous face emerged from the darkness with yellow eyes and a horribly wrinkled and disfigured face. The monstrous man growled with delight, showing his long, white fangs.

As the vampire lowered his mouth to Orihime's neck, Orihime swiftly kneed the creature in the groin, just as Tatsuki had taught her. The vampire dropped her to the ground and clutched his privates while moaning. Orihime took a moment to catch her breath before she began digging in her purse.

The movie, hair ties, tampons, and the other purse contents went flying as she rummaged through her bag. The vampire growled in anger as a feminine product hit him in the eye. Orihime sighed in frustration.

Meanwhile, the daemon had recovered and was sneaking up behind the girl when her hands closed on a spray bottle. She let out a cry of triumph before turning around and spraying the liquid right in the vampire's face. The daemon screeched as the holy water burned his skin. Orihime had returned to her purse and pulled out the stake that was just below her handy bottle of holy water. While the vampire was still dealing with his burns, Orihime used all of her strength and aimed at the vampire's heart. As she had gotten an A in anatomy class, Orihime didn't miss her target. She had just enough strength to get the tip of the wood to pierce the daemon's heart. Not bothering to remove her stake, Orihime stepped back and watched as the vampire turned to dust.

Satisfied, Orihime collected her things and continued walking to Tatsuki's house. She made a mental note to ask Tatsuki for a spare stake before heading home as she was sure her friend would have one. After all, Orihime knew that _everyone_ carried around stakes and holy water to ward off the undead.

_

* * *

_

A couple weeks later

Matsumoto Rangiku and Inoue Orihime sat on the couch in Orihime's apartment. Orihime was painting Rangiku's nails pink. As she finished the last nail, a pensive look appeared on her face. "Rangiku-san?" Rangiku gave the girl her full attention. "I've been having weird dreams."

The shinigami sighed. "Is it the nightmare about the frogs again? Because if so this is more than just frog fear; it goes straight to frog terror."

Orihime shook her head. "No, I haven't had that one for a couple of days."

"Oh, good."

"No," Orihime said. "These dreams…well…Rangiku-san did you ever have an imaginary friend?"

Rangiku thought for a moment. "Nope. I don't think so."

Orihime looked embarrassed. "Well, I know it's odd for kids over five to have imaginary friends, but after Sora died, I..." Orihime trailed off. Rangiku nodded for her to continue. "I had an imaginary family."

Orihime flinched as Rangiku laughed. "That isn't odd, Orihime-chan!"

The orange-haired girl looked surprised. "It isn't?"

"Of course not!" Rangiku smiled at her friend. "It seems completely normal to me. I mean, you were all alone, weren't you?" Orihime nodded. "So what does this imaginary family have to do with you dreams lately?"

"It's the weirdest thing! See, I stopped believing in my imaginary family after I met Tatsuki, but lately I've been dreaming about them! They seem so real, Rangiku-san."

The shinigami mulled over this information. "When did the dreams start?" she asked.

"When I started training with Yoruichi-san before we went to the Soul Society to save Kuchiki-san."

Rangiku shrugged. "It might not mean anything, I suppose. You just might be wanting a family." A large smiled broke out on Rangiku's face and she embraced Orihime in a bone-crushing hug. "I'll be your family, Orihime-chan! And so will taicho!"

"No I won't," the young taicho yelled from the adjoining room.

Rangiku snickered and whispered, "Of course he will be, Orihime-chan! And so will Ikkaku, Yumichika, Renji…" Rangiku continued to the list the entirety of the Gotei 13, before adding "and of course your friends here! Like Kurosaki!" Rangiku smiled brightly, then, realizing the error of her words, looked at the hurt expression on Orihime's face.

Orihime was staring at her drying bright green nail polish morosely.

"I'm sorry, Orihime," Rangiku said, apologizing for bringing up the subject of Orihime's crush.

"It's okay, Rangiku-san." Orihime sighed. "I've accepted the fact that he'll never notice me."

Rangiku shook her head fervently. "You don't know that! He might come around!"

Orihime looked sadly at her friend. "No he won't." A tear escaped Orihime's eye. "I know he won't because…well…because I felt like I've experienced this before. You know?"

Rangiku just looked confused.

"I feel as though I've lived this scenario before. You know: always the friend but never the girlfriend?"

The female shinigami nodded. She understood what the girl meant. It was a situation that occurred a lot.

Orihime got a stern look on her face and said, "So, I've decided that I have a choice. I can spend my life waiting for Ichigo to notice me, or I can just get on with my life."

Rangiku smiled. "Good for you!" she said encouragingly.

Orihime slumped on the couch. "Well," she said tentatively, "I didn't choose yet." (1)

Rangiku scowled.

_

* * *

_

Scene from Chapter 227 (with some added bonus angst!)

Orihime quietly followed Yoruichi into the underground training room of Urahara Souten. She was nervous. Yoruichi seemed distant. Usually she was kind to Orihime.

Why did Urahara need to see her? She didn't have Tsubaki, her only method of attack, anymore. Was that what he wanted to talk about?

Orihime's thoughts were interrupted by Urahara Kisuke who shouted loudly, "Good to see you, Inoue-san! Long time no see!"

Not knowing what to say to the overly enthusiastic ex-shinigami, Orihime simply replied, "Yeah."

Grabbing a bench, Urahara babbled, "Well, lately I've been looking at these guys only." Orihime attention was brought to the "guys" he was talking about. Renji and Chad seemed to be battling each other, training for the winter war with Aizen. "As expected I see flowers when there are women at the workplace…the atmosphere." Bringing the bench over, Urahara said, "Here, here, have a seat please!"

However, Orihime's attention was held by her two battling friends. "Sado-kun…Renji-kun…" They both looked exhausted, but they continued to fight. It hurt Orihime to know that she would never be able to fight like that. She would just watch her friends fight the good fight from the sidelines, healing them occasionally.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. When the dust cleared, Orihime could see a bloody and beaten Chad lying in a crater. "Urahara-san!" Renji called. "He can't go on any longer! I'm gonna call it a day!"

"Sado-kun!" Orihime called, attempting to reach her fallen comrade.

Urahara put out an arm to stop her. "Tessai! Ururu!" he yelled at his staff. "Hit Sado-san until he wakes up."

Orihime looked at the shopkeeper like he was a madman.

However, behind Renji, Chad rose from the rubble. "Wa…wait…a sec…" he managed to say. "I…can…still…fight!"

Renji smirked at his opponent. "There's a limit for trying to be tough."

As Chad tried to stand, Orihime decided to find out what Urahara wanted from her. "Urahara-san? What did you want to talk to me about?"

Without turning to face her, Urahara said, "Just now, Matsumoto-san of the 10th squadron has come to this world. You're well aware of it, aren't you? The story of the 'Ouken.' The word should have spread to Madarame-san and them by now. It's a sudden situation and it was totally unexpected but, in any case, because of this, Soul Society and I have both decided to prepare for the upcoming war set for this winter. It's all out war. More blood will probably be spilt that ever before."

Orihime nodded. "I see," she said. "I also want to get stronger!"

"I thought so." Urahara sighed. "Then I will tell you, Inoue-san. I will have you removed from the war front."

His words shocked Orihime. Now she couldn't help at all? Was she to be totally left behind? "Tsubaki-" Orihime began, but Urahara interrupted her.

"Ever since he was injured from the battle with the arrancars he hasn't been able to recover, right?"

Orihime strained to hold back her tears. "Yeah. He was torn up so much…trying to heal him is like trying to find a splinter. I don't even know where to begin."

"Tsubaki is your only means of fighting. With him lost, I cannot allow you to participate in battle. That's obvious."

The man's words stung, but he was right. She could fight vamps with the best of them (but then again who _couldn't _do that), but when it came to helping her friends…Orihime had never felt more worthless in her life.

Chad, who had managed to get to his feet, came to her defense. "Wai…wait a sec, Urahara-san! Inoue is our comrade. She fought with her life in the Soul Society. Even Inoue herself is saying that she wants to get stronger. I can't just let you say things so simply!"

Orihime looked at her friend's determined face. She appreciated his words, but she didn't know if she agreed with him.

Urahara scoffed at the boy's words. "Isn't this just an emotionally based argument? Do you want Inoue-san to die?"

Chad became angry. "It's not that! Inoue has the power of shielding and restoration. That is very important during the war!" Orihime flinched. Was it so useful?

"We already know the protective power of the 'santen kesshun,' but I assume that it won't be useful for this battle. 'Soten kisshun,' we have the 4th squadron for that. This time, the abilities of Unohana-taicho and Kotetsu-fukutaicho's teams will be on the front line. For the gap that Inoue-san's absence will leave, they have the power to fill that gap many times over."

"But-" Chad protested.

"Leave it!" Urahara's tone was harsh. "I'm saying that a soldier who has lost his powers will only be a burden."

Rage flared in Chad. "Urahara-san!" he yelled, his voice booming throughout the underground training room.

Orihime, her voice sad, spoke up. "It's okay."

Chad turned to Orihime surprised. "Inoue?"

"It's okay." Orihime tried to smile at her friend, but she couldn't bring herself to.

All of the sudden, Orihime was no longer in the underground training room; instead she found herself in a small living room. It felt like she was reliving a memory, but she was sure she had never seen this place before. There were two people in front of her, a boy with dark hair and a short blonde girl. Orihime recognized them. They were members of her imaginary family, the same imaginary family she'd been dreaming about lately. The boy was Xander and the girl was Buffy, but why did everyone look so angry. She'd never imagined them fighting. What was this? Buffy started yelling at both her and Xander, and a feeling of guilt and depression took root in Orihime's stomach. "So let's go! All of us. We'll walk into that cave with you two attacking me and the funny drunk drooling on my shoe! Hey! Hey, maybe that's the secret way of killing Adam?!"

Xander, who had a hurt look on his face said, "Buffy…"

"Is that it?" the Buffy continued. "Is that how you can help? You're not answering me! How can you possibly help?" The girl calmed down. Somberly, she said, "So, I guess I'm starting to understand why there's no ancient prophecy about a Chosen One and her friends."

"Inoue!" Orihime's odd vision was broken by the sound of Chad's voice. The sadness was more apparent on Orihime's face now. The vision didn't really disturb her, but it awoke a deep sorrow within her.

"Thank you…Sado-kun," Orihime said, misery lacing her voice. "Thank you for everything, Urahara-san. I'm glad you could tell me directly." When Orihime felt like she couldn't hold the tears any longer, she exclaimed, "Please excuse me!" and ran from Urahara Souten.

* * *

(1) This was an actual quote from BtVS.


	2. Conversations with Dead People

A/N: I know that the last chapter seemed more like interludes than a real story. Well, this chapter is that way, too. Sorry! However, chapter 3 will be more story-like and it will introduce some Ulquihime!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or BtVS.

_

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_

Xander: What, and suck all the spontaneity out of being young and stupid? I'd rather live in the dark.  
Willow: You're not gonna be young forever.  
Xander: Yes, but I'll always be stupid.

* * *

Chapter 2: Conversations with Dead People

Aizen leisurely sat on his throne of bleached white stone, his head resting lazily on his hand. Although he seemed completely relaxed, his eyes were tense. Over and over again he watched the scene from the living world, experiencing the event through Ulquiorra's eye. Over and over he watched that girl heal the giant boy's arm. No, she didn't heal it at all. He wasn't quite sure what she was doing.

"You know exactly what she's doing," a smooth voice said from behind his throne. Aizen didn't bother to turn around. He already knew who it was. Hinamori Momo walked out from behind the throne. There was a certain predatory aspect in the way she walked, as though she was ready to rip out someone's throat at a moment's notice.

"Enlighten me," Aizen said, his eyes still fixated on the screen.

Hinamori grinned in a way Gin would have been proud of. "She's rejecting it." Hinamori walked around Aizen's throne, her eyes staying on the shinigami. She seemed like a hyena circling her prey.

Aizen paid her no mind. "Elaborate."

"She's making it as though his injuries never existed…like he was never attacked…like it never happened at all." Hinamori leaned down next to the throne. She stared intently at Aizen. "Can you imagine what you could do with that power? Someone annoys you? Reject them. They'd be gone forever. They could never be reincarnated or appear in the Soul Society. They would be truly eliminated." Hinamori stood and continued her prowling. "But why stop there. A battle didn't go you're way? Reject it. Make it as though it had never happened. You would be beyond God at that point, beyond any force of nature. No one could stand against you." Hinamori leaned down next to his throne once again. Her mouth next to his ear, she whispered, "Imagine the power."

A determined look now accompanied the easy grin on Aizen's face.

_

* * *

_

One month after Rukia brought Orihime to the Soul Society

Orihime walked into the archives of the Seireitei, examining the dusty tomes as she passed the shelves. After navigating through the labyrinth of shelves, the girl found herself in the center of the large room. Sitting on the floor surrounded by mounds of texts, scrolls, and other writings, Orihime found the 8th division taichou, Kyouraku Shunsui, and the 13th division taichou, Ukitake Juushirou. The old friends were relentlessly poring over the information, most of it Aizen's private writings.

The pair turned their attention to Orihime as she approached them. "Good morning, Inoue-san!" Kyouraku said with a smile.

"Is there something we can help you with?" Ukitake asked.

Orihime handed Ukitake a letter she was holding. "It's from Kuchiki-san," she explained.

Ukitake took the letter and smiled at the girl. "Thank you, Inoue-san."

"So," Kyouraku started, leaning back leisurely against a pile of books. "How has the training been going?" Ukitake rolled his eyes. He knew his friend was just trying to keep the girl here so that they could delay returning to the mostly useless scrolls.

Orihime's smile faltered for a moment. "G-great!" she said.

Ukitake narrowed his eyes. He hadn't known the girl for long, but he knew that her face was very expressive, and right now her face was practically shouting that she was lying.

"You're lying." Obviously Kyouraku had picked up on that as well.

Orihime's face fell. "No, it really is going great…just in a not so great kinda way."

The shinigami looked confused. Orihime bit her lip as she thought. She didn't know if she should tell them her problem, but Ukitake was Rukia's mentor in a way. Surely he wouldn't mind giving the young human advice.

Orihime plopped herself down on the floor, creating a momentary cloud of dust. "Tsubaki is all better, 100 percent, but…I'm afraid that this is all the better he'll ever be. I've made hardly any progress since I came here. Nothing seems to have changed."

"It's only been a month," Ukitake reminded her.

Orihime pouted. "I know, but the war with Aizen is coming soon. I'm afraid I won't make enough progress to help and not just be a burden."

The taichou looked at the girl sadly. "Well, maybe there's something else you could do to help," Kyouraku offered.

"Yeah," Ukitake agreed. "What else are you good at?"

Orihime thought for a moment. "I'm really good at research. Maybe I could help you two?" She stared at the two captains, hoping for an affirmative reply.

Ukitake and Kyouraku winced. They both thought Orihime was a bit of an airhead and didn't think she would be much of a help. Obviously they had never seen her grades.

At the looks on their faces, Orihime knew what their answer would be. Hiding her disappointment, she searched for something to change the subject.

"What are those?" Orihime asked, pointing to a couple of disks beside a pile of books.

Kyouraku scowled. "Computer files of Aizen's. We can't look through them because they're encrypted and Kurotsuchi says he's 'too busy' to decrypt them." Kyoraku scoffed at this. "He just wants to be a bastard."

"I can decrypt them," Orihime said.

The two men looked surprised. "Really?" asked Ukitake, doubt clear in his voice.

"Sure!" Orihime assured them. "I'm great with computers! Once I hacked into the government's files on…" Orihime trailed off at the looks she was receiving. "Nothing!" she finished quickly. She laughed awkwardly. "I did nothing. Especially nothing illegal." She tried, and failed, to sound earnest.

"Okay," Ukitake said tentatively.

"Great!" Orihime said, grabbing the discs. "I'll just need a computer and some jelly doughnuts!"

The shinigami looked confused. "What are jelly doughnuts?" Ukitake asked.

Orihime looked startled for a moment before saying, "Okay. Scratch the jelly doughnuts."

* * *

Orihime walked into a high school library beside her best friend, Xander Harris. _No,_ she told herself. _Tatsuki is my best friend. Xander is only imaginary._

Regardless, Orihime and Xander, both holding eggs oddly enough, walked over to Buffy Summers, Orihime's other imaginary friend. Buffy was looking through the card catalogue when Orihime said, "Buffy! How come you weren't in class?" _What am I talking about? _Orihime thought.

"Vampire issues," the short blonde replied. "Did Mr. Whitmore notice I was tardy?"

"I think the word you're searching for is 'absent,'" Xander corrected her.

Orihime added, "Tardy people show."

Orihime was so confused. She wasn't even thinking about the words when they just popped out of her mouth. She fit in so well in this situation. Was it because all of this was just in her imagination? None of this was real, right? And she still didn't know why she was carrying two eggs.

"Right," Buffy said.

Orihime quickly spoke again, although she had no idea what she was talking about. "And, yes, he did notice, so he wanted me to give you this." Orihime handed Buffy one of the eggs.

Buffy rolled the egg around in her hand a bit before saying, "As far as punishments go, this is fairly abstract."

"No, it's your baby." As she said this, Orihime could feel her mouth pull into a smile.

Buffy looked as confused as Orihime felt. "Okay, I get it even less."

"Well, it's the whole 'sex leads to responsibility' thing, which I personally don't get," Xander explained. "You gotta take care of the egg. It's a baby. You gotta keep it safe and teach it Christian values."

"My egg is Jewish," Orihime said. _Why Jewish?_ Orihime thought. She wasn't Jewish. In fact, she didn't think she'd ever met a Jewish person in her life.

"Then teach it that dreidel song," Xander said. Orihime smiled involuntarily, even though she didn't know what the 'dreidel song' was.

Buffy looked horrified. "I can't do this!" she protested. "I can't take care of things! I killed my Giga Pet. Literally. I sat on it and it broke." Buffy gingerly set her egg down on the top of the card catalogue.

"You'll do fine," Orihime said.

"Yeah," Xander agreed. "The only thing that stresses me is when do we tell them that they're adopted?"

Buffy smiled. "I'll just lay that one off on my partner." Then, Buffy looked up, worried. "Who'd I get."

Orihime began to feel slightly awkward, though she didn't know why. "Well," Orihime said, "there were an uneven number of students, and you didn't show, so…" Orihime trailed off. She believed she was insinuating something with her words, though as of now she couldn't figure out what.

Buffy looked shocked. "I'm a single mother?" _Oh, that's what I meant,_ Orihime realized.

Xander nodded in faux solemnness. "No man of her own."

"Do you know what this says about me?" Buffy demanded. Orihime had no idea. "That I'm doomed to lead my mother's life! How deeply scary is that?"

"How about this," Xander said, "it says nothing; it means nothing; this whole egg experiment thing is completely pointless!"

"Success!" Giles, Orihime immediately recognized him as her imaginary father, exclaimed as he emerged from the book cage. With his face still in the book, Giles said, "At last. Your playmate is a fellow of repute it seems."

Giles almost set the book on the egg resting on the card catalogue, but Buffy rescued it in time. Pointing at a picture in the book, Giles said, "That's, um, Lyle Gorch, and that one's his brother, Tector. They're from Abilene. They, uh, they made their reputation by massacring an entire Mexican village in 1886."

Normally this information would horrify Orihime, but she currently found it oddly routine.

"Friendly little demons," Buffy said.

"That was before they became vampires," Giles corrected. "B-but, um, the good news is that they're…not amongst the great thinkers of our times. I doubt if they're up to much. They're probably just drawn here by the Hellmouth's energy."

_Hellmouth?_ Orihime thought. _What's a Hellmouth?_

"'Nuff said!" Xander exclaimed, obviously unperturbed by the use of the word _Hellmouth_. "I propose Buffy slays 'em. All in favor?" Xander raised his hand.

Orihime, unwillingly, raised her hand as well. "Aye!"

"I-I don't think you should underestimate them. I mean, y-you may need to have some help if, if, if, if…" Giles trailed off, finally noticing what Orihime, Buffy, and Xander were holding. "Why do you all have eggs?"

Orihime awoke abruptly. It was still dark out and Rukia was sleeping soundly on the mat beside her. Orihime stood and left the room in search of some fresh air. The dream had unnerved her, even if it made absolutely no sense. It felt so _real_. But it couldn't have been, right? Giles, Buffy, and Xander: they only existed in her imagination, right? Orihime wasn't so sure anymore.

* * *

The next day, Ukitake, Kyouraku, and Orihime were all once again in the archives. Ukitake and Kyouraku were still going over the thousands of pages of writings. Orihime had one of the 12th division's laptops on the table before her, her fingers flying over the keys. Beside her sat a plate piled high with jelly doughnuts. (Luckily Hanatorou had discovered the deliciousness of jelly doughnuts when he had visited the living world. With the help of his new-found friend, Rin from the 12th division, Hanatorou had made a special batch just for the visiting human.)

Footsteps eventually broke the constant sounds of rustling pages and typing. Soifon, taichou of the 2nd division, appeared from within the corridors of bookshelves.

"Hi, Soifon-taichou!" Orihime said enthusiastically before stuffing her face with another pastry and continuing her work.

Soifon only nodded at the hyper girl. Ukitake smiled at his fellow taicho. "Hello, Soifon-taichou. What brings you here?"

Soifon quickly delivered the message she had for Ukitake and Kyouraku. Orihime ignored it. It was just about the rescheduling of a taichou meeting.

Kyouraku laughed when she had finished delivering the message. "That can't be the only reason you're here, Soifon."

Soifon scowled. "I was actually curious as to the progress you've made."

Now Kyouraku scowled. To be honest they hadn't discovered anything helpful lately. Soifon interpreted his silence correctly. She sighed then turned to Orihime. "Have you made any progress?" Soifon sounded doubtful of that ever happening.

Orihime looked up from the computer and swallowed her big bite of doughnut. "It's a tricky code. At first I was thinking maybe the cyphertext was encrypted with an asymmetric algorithm. No luck there. Now I'm trying a hexagonic key pattern, though I doubt…" Orihime trailed off at the three blank stares she was receiving. She laughed nervously. "Just know that I'm working hard!" (1)

Soifon nodded, though she wasn't entirely sure about what the girl had said. Kyouraku drew her attention. "Has Yamamoto-soutaichou decided on a plan yet?"

Soifon sighed. "I believe the current plan is train and pray to God that Aizen doesn't attack soon."

Ukitake frowned. Kyouraku growled, "That has got to be the worst plan I've ever heard."

Soifon just shrugged.

"We attack Aizen with hummus." The three shinigami turned to the girl who had stated this. She was still typing away as though those ridiculous words had never passed her lips.

"Okay," said Kyouraku. "_That_ is now the worst plan I have ever heard."

Orihime nodded seriously. "Someone has to keep things in perspective. And someone once told me that plans involving hummus usually make all other plans look brilliant which heightens morale." There was a pause. "Oh, success!" (2)

"Huh?" Kyouraku had never been more confused in his life.

Orihime gestured to the computer with a wide smile on her face. "I cracked the code."

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Scene from chapter 233

Orihime watched as shinigami worked around the Senkai Gate. She fidgeted impatiently. No matter what Urahara said, Orihime knew her friends needed her. She might not be able to fight alongside them or protect them, but only she could heal them. The 4th division wasn't even mobilizing to go to the living world. Her friends might die from their injuries before ever seeing a member of the 4th division. Orihime _had _to help them.

"Inoue-sama!" a shinigami called, rousing Orihime from her thoughts. "Inoue Orihime-sama!" Orihime ran to the shinigami that had called her name. "The stability has been reached for the Dangai Passageway," the shinigami reported. "Please cross!"

Orihime immediately ran through the doors of the Senkai Gate, yelling a quick thanks to the shinigami behind her. Before she had gone far in the passage, however, two shinigami began running beside her.

"Let us accompany you," one shinigami said.

"Huh?" Orihime was surprised. Why would the Soul Society send escorts? She didn't want to bother them. Surely they had more important things to do than escort her? "It's okay. You don't have to-"

"You are no longer a ryoka; you are a guest!" the other shinigami insisted. "It is customary to have two shinigami without their hell butterflies accompany the comings and goings of a guest. It's inconvenient, but please forgive us."

Orihime felt bad for being an inconvenience, but if it was customary she wouldn't be rude and refuse their escort. "Okay, then please accompany me."

The three continued running in silence. _Have to hurry,_ Orihime thought. _It'll be okay. I've gotten a bit stronger within this one month, despite that short hiatus I took helping Ukitake-taichou and Kyouraku-taichou. I should be useful by now!_ Even though she was short of breath, Orihime continued to run quickly. She had to get to her friends!

"Oh, only two people for protection?" There was another voice in the passage. This voice was cold, emotionless, and uncaring. "Contrary to my expectations, the Soul Society is no longer competent." Orihime stopped quickly. She glanced over her shoulder, looking for the eerie intruder. "It seems they are not aware that danger is said to be at its highest…" there was a ripping sound as though the air itself was split, "…during times of travel."

As the garganta expanded, Orihime's heart sped up. Schiffer Ulquiorra, Cuatro Espada, was standing in the tear in space. Of course Orihime didn't know exactly who he was, but she did recognize from before: he was an arrancar that served Aizen.

"Only two bodyguards? How disappointing." Ulquiorra remained impassive even as he mocked the shinigami. "You guys are so unorganized, but that makes it more convenient for me. It's too bad though. I really wanted to stay and chat."

Fear paralyzed Orihime, not unlike the moment she encountered her first vampire. But somehow Orihime knew this encounter would not end as well as that one had.

The stoic espada kept his gaze on Orihime as the garganta closed behind him. "Therefore let me inform you: all dreams are to be thrown away."

Beside Orihime, one of her shinigami escorts pulled out his zanpakutou. "Who…What are you, you bastard?! An arrancar?!"

Orihime panicked. She'd seen this man…er…_hollow_ bat away a direct attack from Urahara like it was a mere annoyance. She couldn't let her escorts fight him! He'd massacre them easily! "Wait!" she yelled. "You have something to say to me, right?"

Ulquiorra ignored Orihime and attacked the shinigami that had confronted him. He moved so quickly that Orihime didn't even see him move. One moment Ulquiorra was calmly pulling his hand from his pocket, and the next moment his hand was dripping with blood and the shinigami had a gaping hole in his chest.

"That's right, woman. I have business with you." Ulquiorra flicked the blood from his hand.

Fury bubbled within Orihime. "Souten Kisshun!" Ayame and Shuno burst from Orihime's flower clips and flew over to the fallen man. Covering him in a bubble of orange light, the two fairy-like creatures began to reverse the damage Ulquiorra had inflicted.

The other shinigami escort began sputtering as he looked at his fallen comrade. "Run away!" Orihime commanded. "Please get away from here!"

"Bu-but…"

"Run away!" Orihime was nearly in tears at this point. If this man died because of her she would never forgive herself. "I beg you!"

Before the man could obey her orders, Ulqiorra had felled him as he had with the other shinigami.

"Ayame!" Ayame knew exactly what Orihime wished of her and moved to the other injured man, allowing the glowing light to encompass him as well.

Rage was fueling Orihime's courage now. As her fairies healed the two men, Orihime stood and faced the espada.

"You can even regenerate injuries that extensive? Most impressive!" Orihime couldn't have cared less if she impressed Ulquiorra or not. At this moment, to her, he was but a monster.

"Follow me, woman." Of all the things she had expected this arrancar to say or do, this did not even resemble one of them. The surprise was written clearly on her face.

"Wha-"

"Don't speak." Orihime immediately closed her mouth. "You will say 'yes.' Reply any other way, I won't kill _you_…" Images of her friends fighting and losing to the espada appeared in the air. "…But I'll kill your _friends_."

Orihime blinked. She was no longer in the passage. Ulquiorra no longer stood before her. In fact, it seemed like she was in a chemistry classroom with…Xander? _No!_ Orihime thought. _This is the worst time ever to have one of these weird visions!_ Her imaginary friend Xander flipped on the lights. Behind him a tall man with bleach-blonde hair and wearing a long, black duster grabbed Xander by the neck.

_Spike, the vampire,_ a voice in her mind told her. At this moment Orihime didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that this man…er…_vampire_ was choking her best friend. She was so frightened. No matter what, she didn't want Xander to die. It didn't even cross her mind that he was imaginary. "Xander!"

Xander was struggling in the vampire's grasp. Spike smiled, baring his fangs. "I need to borrow the little girl. You don't mind do you?"

Xander kicked the wall, and, using it as leverage, threw himself and Spike across the room. Before Xander could stand, Spike punched him hard. Xander collapsed against the floor. Orihime glanced around her. She needed a weapon. It didn't occur to her that she could use her Shun Shun Rikka. She currently felt like a helpless girl against a master vampire. Her eyes glanced over the spell books and potions ingredients as though they were inconsequential. Eventually she saw a microscope. Grabbing the heavy instrument, Orihime ran at the vampire, attempting to strike him.

Spike caught her arm. "Threatening me? That's not nice. We're gonna be very best friends here." Behind him, Xander got to his feet. Spike ripped the microscope from Orihime's hand and swung it around behind him. The heavy machine hit Xander on the side of the head. The boy fell to the ground unconscious.

"Xander!" Orihime shrieked.

In an instant Orihime was back in the passage, Ulquiorra standing before her.

"Don't ask anything. Don't say anything…" Ulquiorra continued as though she had been paying attention to his words the entire time, and Orihime's fear for Xander was seamlessly replaced with her fear for her _real_ friends.

* * *

(1) I am a chem nerd, physics nerd, and bio nerd. I am not, however, a computer nerd. These computer terms are straight outta Buffy!

(2) Gotta love hummus plans. That's outta Buffy too.


	3. The Dark Age

A/N: The actual story starts here!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or BtVS.

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Buffy: So someone ripped him open and ate out his insides?  
Willow: Like an Oreo cookie. Well, except for, you know...without the chocolaty cookie goodness.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Dark Age

Orihime had only been in Hueco Mundo for a few days, yet she already felt like she was going insane. Every dream she had was of her imaginary family. They were even pervading her waking moments. Now and then she would briefly hear Buffy's voice or Xander's laughter. She would see Giles's glasses on a table in her peripheral vision, but they would be gone when she focused on them. Dreams and reality were meshing.

In the copious amounts of time Orihime now had, she examined what her dreams might mean. In fact, she examined her imaginary family in its entirety. As a little girl who had just lost her only family, she had never questioned them. She had never wondered why her brother and sister had funny names and didn't look a thing like her. She had never wondered why they didn't call Giles "dad" or why only Buffy called Joyce "mom." They were her family, but now…their oddities unnerved her. If they were confined to her imagination, where did she get the ideas for them? Orihime questioned herself over and over, and it wasn't doing anything to preserve her sanity.

The only thing that grounded her was Ulquiorra. When he had first brought her to Hueco Mundo, she thought of him as a monster, but now she wasn't so sure. She assumed her doubts were due to her nature (she always tried to find the good inside people) and a healthy dose of Stockholm Syndrome.

Ulquiorra entered Orihime's room with her breakfast on the morning of the fifth day. At least, Orihime assumed it was morning. It was hard to tell in Hueco Mundo's endless night.

"Good morning, Ulquiorra-san." Ulquiorra didn't respond. Orihime didn't expect him to. He never spoke to her. She had a distinct feeling her didn't like her.

Ulquiorra set out her food. Orihime sat at the table and began eating. She knew that she would gain nothing by fasting; besides, her sanity was protesting her imprisonment more than she ever could by denying their food.

Usually Ulquiorra left while she ate, returning briefly an hour later for her dishes. Today, however, he joined her at the table.

"You're paler than usual," he noted.

Orihime was shocked. She stared at him wide-eyed, and then began laughing nervously. "This place doesn't have much in the way of sunlight, you know."

Ulquiorra examined her critically. Orihime lowered her eyes to her food. "You're sad." His observations sounded so clinical, but there was a hint of concern behind his words that Orihime didn't detect. Orihime only nodded. "This is your home now. You should not be sad. It is my job to care for you, woman. Tell me what I must do to fulfill my duty."

"Don't leave me alone? Talk to me?" Orihime's demands sounded more like questions.

Now Ulquiorra was shocked, thought his stoic expression belied this feeling. "That is what you desire? Company?" Orihime nodded timidly. "Fine. What do you wish to talk about?"

Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Orihime wracked her brain for a conversation topic Ulquiorra might enjoy. She didn't think he'd like discussing cooking, and he wouldn't know anything about sports, music, or literature having been in Hueco Mundo for so long.

Ulquiorra was no longer watching Orihime. He was now staring out the barred window of her room at the large crescent moon. Orihime scrutinized him. He seemed intellectual and fairly abstract. Orihime had recently read a book about a fairly abstract concept. Maybe Ulquiorra would be interested in that?

"Have you ever heard of Schrodinger's Cat?"

Ulquiorra turned his attention to her. "I dislike animals."

Orihime shook her head. "No, it's not an animal. It's a theory!" Ulquiorra looked intrigued. Orihime began explaining the theory to the arrancar. Ulquiorra found the concept fascinating. Orihime practically bounced with excitement as she commenced describing the basic ideas of quantum mechanics to Ulquiorra. This topic bored Tatsuki, so Orihime normally had no one to discuss this with. Ulquiorra, on the other hand, was enthralled by it. He would occasionally interject thoughtful questions here and there. Orihime didn't have the answers to most of his questions, but the two soon found themselves eagerly speculating possible answers and new ideas.

Orihime's breakfast was left completely untouched. Neither she nor Ulquiorra noticed this until Orihime's stomach growled loudly. She blushed. A smile pulled at Ulquiorra's lips, though he suppressed it.

The espada picked up Orihime's now cold breakfast and returned it to the cart. "I will return with your lunch shortly, Orihime." Ulquiorra left her room with the cart.

Orihime smiled. He had called her by her name.

* * *

Over the next few days, Orihime and Ulquiorra spent hours together discussing everything from mathematics to chemistry to physics. Eventually Orihime started to tell Ulquiorra about computers. He immediately wished to know how they worked.

Orihime enjoyed her time with the stoic espada immensely. None of her friends shared her love science and computers, but Ulquiorra seemed to enjoy them as much as she did. It also pleased her that he no longer exuded impatience and aggravation in her presence.

She still dreamt of her imaginary family, and the dreams felt so real they worried her, but they no longer encroached upon the wakeful world. Orihime's conversations with Ulquiorra were preserving her sanity.

One evening about five days after the two had begun conversing, Ulquiorra returned to Orihime's quarters. He had already delivered all of her meals, so there was no reason for him to return.

"Orihime."

"Ulquiorra-kun!" Orihime exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Ulquiorra lowered his emerald eyes. "Aizen-sama wishes to meet with you." Ulquiorra was loyal to Aizen to a fault, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew Aizen was cruel and power-hungry. He was never fooled by that effortless smile. Ulquiorra had also found a friend in Orihime. He enjoyed their conversations, and he didn't want to lose them. However, if he was to choose between his time with Orihime and his loyalty to Aizen, his loyalty won hands down. But that didn't mean he didn't feel a bit of sorrow when told Orihime was to see Aizen.

A jolt of panic ran through Orihime. The last time Orihime had been in Aizen's presence she had healed Grimmjow's arm only to have to watch him murder another arrancar right in front of her. Las Noches was barbaric, and Aizen was the barbarian king.

Orihime followed Ulquiorra to Aizen's throne room. They were both silent.

Ulquiorra led her into the room. He bowed to his master.

"Ah, Orihime-chan!" Aizen said, a faux fatherly tone in his voice. Turning to Ulquiorra, he stated, "Leave us." Ulquiorra bowed and obeyed.

The fear rose drastically in Orihime after Ulquiorra left. As the doors closed a cold permeated the room, and foreboding was added to the fear.

"Come, Orihime-chan. Sit." Aizen gestured to a seat at the table. He took a seat at the head. Orihime timidly walked over to the table and took the indicated seat. "Tea?" Orihime was too frightened to respond. Aizen smiled and poured her a cup. Orihime grasped the cup in shaking hands.

Aizen chuckled. "There's no reason to be frightened, Orihime-chan." She struggled to still her shaking hands.

Aizen looked at her intently. "I've noticed that my Cuatro Espada has been spending quite a bit of time with you."

The girl nearly gasped. Had she gotten Ulquiorra into trouble? He was just doing his job, right? Orihime was about to protest for her new friend, but one look into Aizen's cold eyes silenced her. "Yes, Aizen-sama" was all she managed to say. She lowered her eyes to her teacup.

"Good." Orihime looked abruptly back at Aizen. His eyes were lowered to his tea, leaving his mouth as the only expressive feature on his face. Without his cold eyes, it would be so easy to be deceived by his warm smile. "This is your home now, Orihime-chan. You must have friends in your home."

Aizen stood, and Orihime stood as well. He put a hand gently on her back and guided her toward the door. On cue, the doors opened. Ulquiorra stood in the corridor waiting for Orihime. "I'm glad you're happy here, Orihime-chan," Aizen said as she left his throne room. The doors boomed closed behind her.

"That was wise." Aizen didn't need to turn around to know that Hinamori was standing casually next to his throne. "Human's are such fragile creatures. They often need friends to survive."

Aizen nodded. "Ulquiorra is disposable," Aizen explained to her. "If he gets too attached, I'll eliminate him."

Aizen turned to face Hinamori. Where Aizen expected the girl to be standing, he found a mirror image of himself. Addressing his doppelganger, Aizen said, "Her power is more important than one pawn."

The duplicate Aizen smiled. "Power always is," it said.

* * *

Orihime had a difficult time getting to sleep that night. Aizen's contrasting harsh eyes and friendly smile haunted her mind. She tossed and turned, twisting the sheets about her. Different miniscule details kept her awake: the sheets were too itchy, the moon was too bright, it was too quiet, etc. Thoughts also kept her wakeful, bouncing around her mind leaving no room for sleep.

Eventually, her eyelids became too heavy to keep open, and her eyes became sticky with sleep. Without even realizing it, sleep overtook her. However, she didn't seem any more restful asleep than when she was awake. She continued to toss about, creating a cocoon out of her sheets. Her eyes darted back and forth behind her eyelids and she whimpered slightly.

Orihime had a tendency to talk in her sleep, and this night was no exception. Still restless, her lips parted slightly and uttered whispered words. "_Not dead_…" she trailed off for a moment. "…_nor of the living_."

There was a slight buzzing in the air in Orihime's room now. Pressure and energy were building quickly to almost tangible levels. "_Spirits of the interregnum_," her voice was gaining magnitude, "_I call_."

The energy rushed like a flood to the world outside Orihime's room. In an instant, every soul in Las Noches was awakened.

"_Gods bind him_." There was a slight tugging sensation. Every soul felt it. It pulled them lightly to a certain wing in Las Noches.

"_Cast his heart from the evil realm_." Free, wild hollows outside Las Noches began crying and howling in anguish.

"_Return. I call on_…" Then everything changed. A sort of electric current filled the air, now forcefully pulling the souls toward Orihime's room. Inside, Orihime was no longer thrashing in her sleep. She was now completely still. Her eyes were open and rolled back in her head, like those of a sleepwalker. A faint glow encompassed her.

"_Te implore, Doamne, nu ignora aceasta rugaminte!_" Ulquiorra, who was under the thrall of her words like the rest of Las Noches, arrived at Orihime's door first. He felt the need, the undeniable urge, to enter her room. He didn't know what this was, but he fought it.

"_Nici mort, nici al finite_..." Then Gin appeared, followed by Grimmjow. "What the hell is everyone doing here?" Grimmjow demanded.

Ulquiorra was tense with worry for his new friend, and Grimmjow wasn't helping. He narrowed his eyes. "Ask yourself that." Grimmjow growled. Gin was practically laughing in glee at the fight that would ensue.

"_Lasa orbita sa fie vasul care-i va transporta, sufletul la el_." Her voice could now faintly be heard behind the large stone door, but the confrontation before her door kept anyone from noticing.

"Is there a problem here?" Aizen's calm voice interrupted Grimmjow's and Ulquiorra's glaring. At the appearance of Aizen and another group of arrancar who had also been called to this place, Ulquiorra immediately looked like a soldier at attention and Grimmjow lowered his head, a scowl marring his features.

"Ulquiorra," Aizen addressed his most loyal espada, "what is going on here?"

Before the Cuatro Espada could respond, Orihime's voice rang through the corridor. "_Asa sa fie! Asa sa fie! Acum!_"

Ulquiorra dashed to her door; something was wrong with his charge. Pushing open her door, Ulquiorra ran to her bed followed by Aizen who walked at a more leisurely pace. With the door now open, the other arrancar all felt the pull intensify. Every one felt the need to enter her room, but at a stern look from Aizen, they restrained themselves and stayed by the door.

Orihime was sitting straight up in bed. Her eyes were fixed at a point before her. Ulquiorra rushed to her side. "Orihime!"

Aizen watched the scene with curiosity.

"_Acum!_" With this final word, Orihime fell back onto her bed. The glow and the energy subsided.

Ulquiorra shook her lightly. "Huh," Orihime said, opening her eyes.

"Hi, Ulquiorra-kun!" she said excitedly, much too excitedly for someone who had just woken up. "Did I oversleep?" she asked.

"Uh…no." Ulquiorra wasn't quite sure what to say. He actually wasn't quite sure what he had seen.

Orihime grimaced. "Was I talking in my sleep? I tend to do that. Oh, no! I didn't say anything embarrassing, did I? 'Cause sometimes I say some weird stuff and-"

"What were you dreaming about, Orihime-chan?" Aizen asked calmly, effectively ending her babble-fest.

Orihime sat up, finally noticing the arrancar gathered outside her door. "Wow. Was I talking that loud?" she asked Ulquiorra. He remained silent.

"What were you dreaming about, Orihime-chan?" Aizen asked again, a bit more forcefully this time.

The girl flinched as though he had yelled at her. She knew a threat was hidden behind those seemingly harmless words.

Attempting to hide her fear, Orihime thought for a moment about her dream. "Let's see," she said. "Well first I was in a library. Then some vampires came and a big bookshelf fell on me. Then I was in a hospital and there was this glowing ball." Orihime cupped her hands to indicate the size of the ball. "Then I woke up."

Ulquiorra asked, "Are you okay?"

Orihime smiled widely. "I'm fine. Ulquiorra-kun!"

Ulquiorra nodded. "Aizen-sama, what do you…" but Aizen had left silently a moment before.

* * *

Aizen sat brooding on his throne. "It was magick." The thing that resembled Hinamori stepped out from the shadows.

Aizen turned his curious gaze to it. "Magick?"

"A soul restoration curse actually. It returns the soul of a vampire to its body." The Hinamori-look-alike leaned casually against a wall, or it seemed to at least. "Not very common. Thought to have been lost over a hundred years ago."

Aizen wasn't smiling. "It had power over me."

Hinamori shrugged. "She was calling on a soul. Maybe she didn't have a particular one in mind so she called on every dead soul around." It walked closer to Aizen, its aura predatory once again. "Does it really matter?" it asked. "It was power. You felt it. Raw power. Doesn't this just mean you made a wise 'investment'?"

Aizen's smile returned.

* * *

A/N: If you hadn't already guessed, the spell was from Buffy.


	4. Primeval

A/N: Sorry this one's so short. Don't worry, chapter five will be longer...much, much longer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or BtVS.

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Buffy: I'm an old-fashioned gal. I was raised to believe that men dig up the corpses and women have the babies.

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Chapter 4: Primeval

The morning after Orihime's spell, everyone was a little tense. They had all felt the power, and only Aizen knew exactly what had happened.

At the morning espada meeting, Aizen was the only relaxed soul. Even Stark was disturbed, though mostly because the ordeal had interrupted his sleep. When the normal daily topics had been discussed, no one left the table as they usually did. Aizen casually sipped his tea as the arrancar fidgeted.

Eventually, Grimmjow could stand the atmosphere no longer and yelled, "Screw this!" Turning to Aizen, he said, "What the hell happened last night."

Aizen smiled languidly. "Do not worry Grimmjow. It is none of your concern."

Grimmjow snarled. It was no secret that the Sexta Espada loathed Aizen, and it seemed as though Aizen loved rubbing Grimmjow's face in his servitude.

Halibel silently put a restraining hand on Grimmjow's arm before he could attack the smug ex-shinigami. Aizen chuckled. "If there is nothing left to discuss, you're excused."

The arrancar all left the table and exited the room. As Ulquiorra was about to exit, Aizen stopped him. "Ulquiorra. A moment, please." Ulquiorra nodded obsequiously and silently faced Aizen. The man smiled at his most loyal espada. "You have been doing a very good job of taking care of the girl," Aizen complimented.

Dread rose in Ulquiorra. Aizen's compliments were usually followed by chastisement which was traditionally followed by death. "Aizen-sama, if this is about last night-"

Aizen silenced him with a gesture. "You have done nothing wrong, Ulquiorra." A curious smile crept onto Aizen countenance. "Do you know what she did last night?"

"No, Aizen-sama."

"Magick." Aizen said the word as though it was a fine wine. "Powerful magick."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed. He'd heard of kidou but _magick_? He didn't dare question Aizen, though.

"I want you to watch the girl. Spend every moment with her. Spend your nights outside her door," Aizen ordered. "If she performs magick again, I want to be informed." The unspoken words were clear to the espada: _If I'm not informed, heads will roll._

Ulquiorra acquiesced and immediately began his new duties.

* * *

Orihime was startled as the door to her room opened. "Ulquiorra-kun! You're here early." Ulquiorra nodded. Orihime looked to the floor, embarrassed. "Ulquiorra-kun, is this about what happened last night?" She took his silence to be an affirmative. "What did happen?"

"You were talking in your sleep."

"That's _all_?" Orihime sounded skeptical. It was obvious Ulquiorra was not going to answer. "What did I say?"

"I do not know. I heard very little of it."

Orihime pouted and marched over to him. "Well, Mister Espada," she said poking him hard in the chest. "Something must have happened to have brought half of Las Noches to my door."

Ulquiorra sighed. He walked over to her couch and sat discontentedly upon it. "I've been told it was magick."

Orihime's expression softened and she sat next to him. "Magick? Like kidou?"

"I don't know."

"Did I do anything cool? Like morph together a duck and a beaver to make a platypus?" Orihime's face was alight with the possibilities. "Or did I make brooms walk around like in _Fantasia_? Oooh! Or maybe I-"

"You drew a dozen arrancar to your door."

Orihime pouted again. "Well that's not a very cool power to have. Actually it's kind of negative. I mean you guys eat souls, right? So that power is like being a big, delicious chocolate-chip cookie with an aroma that calls sugar-starved children from miles around."

Ulquiorra glanced at Orihime. "Your similes are oddly detailed." He sighed. "Besides, I think that was the effects of only one spell. You are probably capable of more."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's currently my job to monitor you and find out exactly what else your magick can do."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence; neither knew exactly what to say. After a moment, Ulquiorra suggested, "Continue explaining binary to me."

Orihime smiled and did.

* * *

Over the next six days, Hueco Mundo was quiet and magick-free. Every day, Ulquiorra would spend every moment with Orihime, and every night he would sleep outside her door. His job was overly uneventful, though he wasn't complaining. He and Orihime had a plethora of topics to discuss. There was rarely a dull moment when they were together.

They had even started noticing each other's peculiarities: like how Orihime's voice would become louder when she was really, really excited about something, or how Ulquiorra gave a sort of half-smile when he found something amusing.

Orihime had decided it was her personal mission to make him smile more. On day one of her mission, she had tried tickling. She soon discovered that Ulquiorra was not ticklish and therefore did not laugh when you tickled him. He just became very confused and questioned her about odd human customs. On day two she tried funny faces. He didn't laugh but he once again questioned her about human customs.

On day three she didn't try anything. She wasn't really sure what to try next. She thought long and hard about her dilemma, and decided that she would just have to study him to discover what he found funny, if anything.

They were talking normally when Ulquiorra said something Orihime found hilarious, though the espada did not understand why she was laughing. What he found odd, though, was that he _liked_ her laugh. When someone laughed in Hueco Mundo, it was usually with manic glee over the death of another, but Orihime's laugh was different. It was filled with joy and mirth and practically bubbled from her mouth. It wasn't restrained. It wasn't faked. It was pure emotion. That was when Ulquiorra showed her his rare half-smile.

* * *

The next four days passed similarly. Ulquiorra discovered he liked making Orihime laugh, and Orihime liked making Ulquiorra smile. Orihime's laughter could be heard throughout the corridors near her room, and though it wasn't as carefree as when she was at home, it was close. Ulquiorra had never smiled so much in his life…er…death. Her delight was contagious. Too contagious for his liking. It seemed that after spending every waking moment with this girl for ten days straight, her uninhibited emotions began to rub off on him.

Ulquiorra disliked this. He disliked it enough that on the tenth day after Aizen had amended his duties to 24-hour surveillance, Ulquiorra stopped making her laugh. In fact, he attempted to stop her from smiling at all. That night outside her door, he contemplated just how much he disliked this. He was supposed to be detached, stoic. Aizen did not create him to feel. He created him to obey.

Inside Orihime's room, Orihime was once again having trouble sleeping. Ulquiorra had seemed different that day. He was disconnected. He had rarely looked at her. Orihime didn't know what she did wrong, but she couldn't, she _couldn't,_ lose her only friend in this barren world.

These thoughts murmured through Orihime's mind, keeping her wakeful. Orihime ultimately fell asleep, though it was late when she did, and all of Las Noches was quiet.

As Orihime was distressed awake, so was she asleep. After about an hour of tossing and turning, Orihime untangled herself from the blankets. Dazedly, she got to her feet. Swaying slightly in her sleepwalking trance, she walked to the window and sat cross-legged in the everlasting patch of moonlight on her floor.

Outside her door, Ulquiorra heard her rustling with her blankets. Thinking it was nothing, he ignored it, though he listened intently for any other suspicious noises.

"_The power of the slayer and all who wield it…_" Orihime chanted under her breath.

Outside, Ulquiorra's preternatural hearing caught her mumblings. He immediately left using sonido in order to summon Aizen.

"…_Last to ancient first, we invoke thee…_" A jolt of electricity once again shot through Hueco Mundo. This time however, it bypassed every arrancar in Las Noches. It shot into the wilds of Hueco Mundo, searching.

"…_Grant us thy domain and primal strength. Accept us in the power we possess. Make us mind and heart and spirit join. Let the hand encompass us. Do thy will._"

Ulquiorra and an exhilarated Aizen rushed to Orihime's room.

Inside, Orihime mimed picking a card from a deck and setting it before her. "_Spiritus…Spirit._" Then she waited, as though others were saying their parts.

Ulquiorra and Aizen appeared outside Orihime's door. Aizen strained his ears. "I don't hear anything."

Ulquiorra frowned. He was sure she was talking earlier.

Behind Ulquiorra, the thing that looked like Hinamori smiled. Aizen turned his gaze to it. "Wait a moment. She's not done," it cautioned

Ulquiorra, who had apparently not heard Hinamori and was completely unaware of its presence, attempted to think of an explanation for waking Aizen unnecessarily.

Inside the room, Orihime once again mimed taking a card. She set this imaginary card next to the one from before. "_And Manus…The Hand._"

Aizen and Ulquiorra both heard this. The espada opened the door and found Orihime sitting on the floor. Ulquiorra began walking toward her, but a hand stopped him. "Let's see what happens, shall we?" Aizen said, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.

"_We enjoin that we may inhabit the vessel – the hand…daughter of Sineya…first of the ones…_"

A loud, pain-filled screech erupted from the bowels of Hueco Mundo. Instinctual panic flooded every arrancar, waking them. Something was awakened by Orihime's spell…something primeval…something _strong_...

The scream echoed throughout the desolate world, shaking the petrified trees and disrupting the sands. The very walls of Las Noches quivered at the sound.

"Wake her!" Aizen ordered, not wasting his time with false politeness. Ulquiorra rushed over to the girl and shook her out of her reverie.

"Ul…Ulquiorra-kun?" Orihime still seemed half asleep.

"Orihime what was that?" the arrancar demanded.

"Ulquiorra-kun, I'm kind of tired…" Orihime, drained of her energy by the spell, fell into Ulquiorra's arms.

Worry flooded him. He gingerly picked her up and carefully placed her on her bed. He checked her pulse and seeing that it was steady, covered her with the blanket.

"Stay with her, Ulquiorra." Aizen then left the room.

* * *

Marching into his throne room, Aizen turned his cold eyes to the Hinamori-look-alike. "What was that?"

Hinamori stood staring at him, never losing its casual stance. "She was summoning something."

Aizen's eyes flashed in a rare show of anger. "_What _was she summoning?"

Hinamori rolled its eyes. "Have you ever heard of a slayer?"

That question surprised Aizen. It was certainly not what he was expecting. "A little, but she's a myth."

It chuckled. "Not quite." In a mock serious tone, it explained the idea of the slayer, "_In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the daemons, and the forces of darkness. She is the slayer._"

"I've heard the story."

"Yes, well, your little witch was calling on her, the first of the line."

"The first slayer?"

It nodded.

"So that was that _thing_ that howled?"

Hinamori shrugged. "Who knows if that was really the first slayer, but something responded to her summons."

Aizen contemplated this for a moment. "How much power was she invoking?"

Hinamori grinned. "A bit. But don't worry. I'm sure this is just kid stuff for your witch."

* * *

After Orihime had fallen asleep once again, Ulquiorra resumed his vigil outside her door. He was tense and pensive. For a moment there, he was actually _worried_ about her. Worried. About her. A human. Trash. Ulquiorra ground his teeth. She was changing him, and he wanted it to stop.

* * *

A/N: The spell, once again, comes from Buffy.


	5. After Life

A/N: I know Willow was gay in the show, but Orihime is **not** going to be gay for a couple of reasons: I love Ulquihime and I suck enough at writing romance so I'm not even going to try to write about a type of romance I've never experienced. It would probably just sound fake and awkward…which is actually how my romances usually sound. Huh.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or BtVS.

_

* * *

_

_Buffy: I wasn't gonna use violence. I don't always use violence. Do I?  
Xander: The important thing is _you_ believe that._

* * *

Chapter 5: After Life

_Living World: Night after Orihime's disappearance_

Kurosaki Ichigo barged into Urahara Souten in full shinigami attire. "Urahara!" he yelled.

The amiable shop-keeper walked into the front of his store where the substitute shinigami was waiting. A fan hid his most of his face, but his eyes held a frown in place of his normal grin. "Is there something I can help you with, Kurosaki-san?"

"Yes. Help me get into Hueco Mundo. I know you can." There seemed to be no room for argument in Ichigo's voice.

"No."

"Why the hell not!? I have to save Inoue!"

Urahara flipped his fan closed, revealing his frown, and sat. He gestured for Ichigo to do the same. The boy remained standing. Urahara sighed. "I want to save Inoue-san just as much as you do."

"You sure as hell don't act like it," Ichigo growled.

Urahara glared at him. "Of course I want to save her! Why do you think I tried to keep her out of battle?" he demanded. "Because I like making girls cry?"

Ichigo scoffed at the man's sarcasm, before saying, "So you knew Aizen was going to go after her."

Urahara sighed. "I…had a hunch. Kurosaki, I can't let you try to save Inoue-san now because failure is not an option."

"I can beat them!" Ichigo protested.

"No, you can't."

Ichigo snarled, "I have to at least try."

Urahara jumped to his feet and loomed over the shinigami. "I don't believe you know just how desperate this situation is."

Ichigo flinched. "What…what do you mean? What are they going to do to Inoue?!"

The ex-shinigami's angered look was replaced with his frown. "Nothing. Aizen wouldn't dare touch her. He will keep her safe because he wants her power."

"Her power? Does this have something to do with the hougyoku?"

Urahara shook his head. "This has nothing to do with the hougyoku." Urahara sat back down and Ichigo accepted his offer of a seat this time. "Don't you find her power odd, Kurosaki?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, you have the powers of a shinigami, Sado-san's powers resemble a hollow's in a way, but Inoue-san's resemble nothing. And I know you've felt her reiatsu. It's weak. Slightly above average, but nothing impressive."

Ichigo was confused. "Then why would Aizen want her if her powers are so weak."

"I said her _reiatsu_ was weak, not her powers," he corrected. Ichigo was even more confused. "Kurosaki, Inoue-san's powers are incredible, but her spiritual powers are weak. What does that tell you?"

Understanding dawned on Ichigo's face. "Inoue's powers aren't spiritual powers."

Urahara nodded. "They're somewhat fueled by her reiatsu, enough that when your powers awakened, hers awakened along with Sado-san's, but her powers are mostly something else."

"What are they?"

Urahara shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know," he admitted. "And that's why her being in Aizen's control frightens me. We have no idea as to the extent of her powers, and we have no idea what Aizen could do with them." Urahara gave Ichigo a moment to digest this information. "Now do you understand why failure to rescue her would be so dire?"

"They…they're not going to hurt her, right?"

"I highly doubt it," Urahara assured the boy. "She needs you to get stronger, Kurosaki. The Soul Society's abandoned her. You, Sado-san, and Ishida-san are the only ones who can save her, and right now none of you are ready."

Resolve set over the shinigami. "Then I'll train."

"Ishida-san is training with his father," Ichigo looked surprised at this news, though Urahara didn't address it, "and I will continue to train Sado-san. When you three are ready, I will open the garganta."

_

* * *

_

Hueco Mundo: About two weeks after Orihime's abduction

The morning after Orihime's second spell, Aizen was sitting in his throne room. He was staring at a white wall pensively. Orihime's magickal prowess was astounding. She was certainly an asset, but what if she was _too_ powerful? Would she prove to be a threat?

"She won't be a threat." Aizen looked up to see Hinamori, or what resembled Hinamori, approach him. "I've already told you: Humans are weak. There are a million ways to keep her obedient."

"Yes, but they are not foolproof. Is keeping her alive a risk worth taking?"

It chuckled. "Of course. Her potential power outweighs every risk." Aizen nodded thoughtfully.

There was a knock on the door. "Enter." Hinamori stood next to Aizen's throne as the doors opened.

The Cuarto Espada entered the room and bowed to Aizen. It was obvious that the arrancar could no more see Hinamori now than the night before. "May I have a word, Aizen-sama?"

Aizen nodded, his paradoxical smile back in place.

"Aizen-sama, I wish to be reassigned."

"Has the girl angered you?" Aizen asked.

Ulquiorra pondered a possible answer. He couldn't tell Aizen the truth, though he was sure the self-proclaimed king of Hueco Mundo would be able to detect a lie.

Ulquiorra decided to tell a half-truth. "I find her insufferable."

Aizen's grin widened. He knew exactly what the problem was. Ulquiorra was easy to read.

"Alright. I'll give you a mission in the living world."

"Thank you, Aizen-sama." Relief flowed through Ulquiorra. Now his world would revert back to normal.

* * *

In her room, Orihime stared out of her barred window. She couldn't wait for Ulquiorra to arrive. She was planning on explaining encryption to him today. She was sure he would take an interest in that.

When the door opened, she turned around cheerfully, but it was not Ulquiorra who entered her room. The Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaggerjack, was there instead.

Orihime was terrified. The last time she had seen this man he had slaughtered another arrancar right in front of her.

"Wh-where is Ulquiorra-kun?"

Grimmjow scoffed at the name. "That pansy-ass bitch? He's on a mission in the living world."

Disappointment displaced most of the fear within Orihime. "When's he coming back?"

Grimmjow scowled at her. "How the hell should I know? All I know is that until he comes back I'm stuck playing babysitter." He then crossed to her sofa, and plopped down on the squishy white cushions. The arrancar put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, apparently planning on taking a nap.

Orihime stood stiffly for a few minutes, watching the arrancar with caution. She finally sat at the table, still staring at him.

Without opening his eyes, Grimmjow said, "I'm not going to attack you."

"I know," Orihime squeaked. Grimmjow chuckled.

In the next half-hour, a lower-level arrancar arrived with Orihime's breakfast. She ate quickly, her eyes never wavering from the man asleep on her couch. After breakfast, Orihime sat quietly for another half-hour. At this time, her boredom was outweighing her fear. She decided to see if he was awake. She studied him, looking for any signs. He looked dead, which technically he was. He wasn't moving, wasn't breathing. He was perfectly still. "Grimmjow-san?" she whispered. No response. "Grimmjow-san?" This time she said it a little louder. "Grimmjow-san?" She repeated this until she was saying his name at a normal level. No movement. No response.

Orihime fidgeted. What was she to do? She was bored…very bored, but she was afraid to wake him. What if she startled him and he attacked her? Orihime cringed at the thought of him driving his hand through her chest as he had done to that other arrancar.

The orange-haired girl looked around her room, searching for something to entertain her. Her room was just as bare as it always was, however. She turned her gray eyes back to Grimmjow. She analyzed him. _He has the coolest hair,_ she thought. _I wonder if he dyes it?_ Her eyes drifted to his bone mask. She thought it made him look a little like a shark. She imagined him attacking people like the shark from _Jaws_. _I wonder if his hair is blue so that he can camouflage with the ocean when he eats people? And maybe his hole is so big so water can flow through so he can swim faster, like a hydrodynamic torpedo._ Orihime giggled at shark-Grimmjow. Actually, as she thought about it, Grimmjow's hole was a lot bigger than the others. She stared at it. She had always wondered what the walls of a hollow hole were made of. She assumed it was skin, but she didn't know for sure, and Grimmjow's hole was so big that she might be able to see.

Quietly, Orihime tip-toed over to the sleeping arrancar. She leaned over him and examined his hole. It was too dark to really see it, so she leaned in closer. It was a perfectly round hole, as though he had gauged his naval instead of his ears. Orihime cringed at that thought. It would probably hurt. Shaking the painful image from her mind, the girl scrutinized the hole once again. It was still too dark to see, and she was mere inches away from it. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Orihime reached out and touched the wall his heartless hole. It _was _skin.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Orihime jumped back as though she'd been burned. Grimmjow looked half pissed and half asleep.

"Uh..." Orihime giggled. "Uh…Grimmjow-san…I, uh, I'm sorry…I was just…"

With any other woman Grimmjow would have chastised her with a well-placed innuendo, but this girl would probably miss the glaringly obvious intimation. "It's fine," he said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Orihime seemed relieved. She crossed the room and sat back in her chair.

Grimmjow yawned, his white, bone jaw stretching wide with his mouth. It was strangely similar to the way a cat yawns after a long nap.

"You know…" she began as Grimmjow finished his yawn. "Ulquiorra-kun and I usually talk."

"Whoopee for you," Grimmjow said. He stood and stretched.

"Well…what should we do together?"

Grimmjow leered at her. "I have some ideas." Orihime looked puzzled. He was right. Innuendos flew right over her head. Grimmjow sighed and sat back on the couch.

Orihime's face brightened. "You could tell me fairy tales!"

"Why would I know any damn fairy tales?" He seemed horrified by the thought.

"Well, your name is 'Grimm'jow so I thought you might know some of Grimm's fairy tales." Orihime smiled brightly at her feeble justification.

Grimmjow gazed at the girl quizzically. "You're an odd girl, you know that?" Orihime's smile widened.

* * *

Ulquiorra's mission in the real world was just as uneventful as his job in Hueco Mundo, if not more so. He was supposed to be spying on the trouble-makers in Karakura Town, but his mind was elsewhere.

He had been on his new mission for three days now, and even away from Orihime, she was all he could think about. He…he _missed_ her. He hated to admit it, but it was true. He missed their conversations. He missed her laughter. He missed the way she made him feel…happy. He wanted to be around her and to make _her_ happy. It was different than the way he felt about Aizen. Aizen he feared and worshipped. Orihime he…well he didn't know.

About a week ago, Ulquiorra had asked Orihime why she missed her friends. Orihime had looked at him as though he had grown two heads. "Because that's what friends are, silly!" she explained. "Friends are people you want to be around. They make you happy and you make them happy. That's just what friends _are_." Could…could Orihime be his…_friend_?

* * *

Grimmjow didn't like many people. In fact, the list of people he loathed was much longer than the list of people he could tolerate. In a mere week, however, Orihime had made the list of people he liked.

This was mostly because she relieved the boredom. One day, she had Grimmjow retrieve playing cards from the real world. She taught him how to play War, Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and a few others. She was horrible at all of them. Grimmjow won every time, but Orihime wanted to continue playing, as though she enjoyed losing. Grimmjow didn't care. He enjoyed winning.

On another day she had him get board games. Monopoly was going well until Wonderwyce suddenly showed up and ate half the pieces. This pissed Grimmjow off, mostly because he was winning, but Orihime thought it was "soooo cute!" Then she panicked because she thought the pieces might be toxic.

On another day Grimmjow discovered that he abhorred Twister, and Orihime learned that you should never put you hand through Grimmjow's hole, even if it's right above the red dot you need to place your hand on.

Over time, Orihime began to grow on Grimmjow. He started caring for her. He wanted to protect her, like he would a little sister. It felt nice, like having a sister was natural. It was actually, though Grimmjow was unaware that he had actually had four younger sisters in life.(1)

* * *

Orihime sat in her bed, staring at the ceiling while sleep eluded her. It had been a week since she had seen the Cuatro Espada. Why would Ulquiorra not come and see her? Had she done something to offend him? Orihime sighed and rolled over in her bed. She tried closing her eyes and falling asleep, but thoughts of her friend kept her awake. At least, she thought he was her friend. She had hoped he was her friend. It seemed she was wrong.

A knock on the door startled Orihime from her thoughts. She sat straight up in bed as the door opened. In the doorway stood Ulquiorra. Orihime gasped. "Ul-Ulquiorra-kun?"

Ulquiorra stepped into her room and Orihime got to her feet. She walked tentatively toward him. "Ulquiorra-kun? Is that really you?"

Ulquiorra granted her one of his half-smiles, and Orihime's heart flipped and her stomach felt all fluttery. She disregarded these signs, though before now they had been reserved for Ichigo only.

Ulquiorra stepped closer to her, and, oddly enough, began to sing. His smooth tenor voice flowed through the white expanse of Las Noches.(2) "_I lived my life in shadow, never the sun on my face._" Orihime was unknowingly stepping closer and closer to him until she was mere inches from the espada. "_It didn't seem so sad though, I figured that was my place._" Tears welled in the girl's eyes at his sorrowful words. Taking his hand from his pocket, Ulquiorra lightly cupped her face with his cold hand. "_Now I'm bathed in light. Something just isn't right._" Orihime closed her wet eyes and leaned into his cool touch.

"_I'm under your spell!_" Orihime's eyes snapped open as his voice rose to a melodious soprano. It wasn't his voice anymore, and for good reason: It wasn't Ulquiorra standing before her anymore. It wasn't Ulquiorra's hand on her cheek.

Before her stood a woman with long, light brown hair. A sting of recognition and horror shot through her. "_God, how can this be? Playing with my memory._" Orihime backed away from the woman, guilt and sadness entwining itself with her fear. The tears fell more rapidly now. "_You know I've been through hell._" The woman spread her arms wide and approached Orihime as though she wanted to embrace her. Orihime backed into the wall. "_Willow, don't you see? There'll be nothing left of me._" A bit of blood began to seep onto the woman's shirt from some sort of wound in her chest. "_You made me believe…!_" With her last note her voice became a high-pitched scream. She clutched her chest as the blood soaked the garment.

The blood, the shrieking, and the feelings of remorse and sadness were too much for Orihime. She shut her eyes against the horror, covered her ears, and screamed herself to drown out the woman.

Outside her door, Grimmjow awoke to the sound of her cries. The arrancar jumped to his feet and banged open her door. He saw her in her bed, her hands covering her ears as she kicked and screamed. Grimmjow was by her side in an instant, shaking her awake. "Wake up! Goddamn it, wake up!" he yelled. Orihime tried to beat him away, and he shook her more violently. Eventually she awoke. She was still weeping fiercely.

Grimmjow didn't really know what to do. He wasn't a very sentimental man. Therefore he just held her awkwardly as she wept. In a few minutes, her tears began to subside. Orihime turned her wet face to the arrancar, and asked between hiccups, "Ulquiorra…Ulquiorra-kun isn't coming back, is he?"

Grimmjow didn't know what to say.

* * *

The Sexta Espada was tired the next day. He was up for most of the night comforting Orihime until she fell back asleep. She had never told him what her nightmare was about, but Grimmjow had a pretty good idea.

After the morning conference, Grimmjow held back before returning to Orihime. He waited for Ulquiorra to exit the throne room, before grabbing the Cuatro Espada's arm and pulling him to a deserted part of the corridor.

"Unhand me," Ulquiorra ordered.

Grimmjow let him go, but a scowl remained on his face. "Why the hell don't you visit her?!"

"Whom?"

"You know damn well 'whom' I'm talking about," Grimmjow growled.

Ulquiorra tilted his head like a confused puppy, though his face remained stoic. "You mean the woman." Ulquiorra shrugged. "I have no need to see her."

"Why the hell not?"

"I have no need for friends."

Grimmjow was practically seething. "Yeah, well you may not need them, but she does."

* * *

Orihime was melancholy that entire day. Grimmjow tried to cheer her, but his attempts were in vain. She was quiet, and his endeavors at conversation were ignored. She wasn't intentionally ignoring him, but she was lost in her own world.

At lunch, Orihime was poking at her food, but she hadn't taken a single bite. Grimmjow had given up at this point. Whatever she had dreamt about was still plaguing her mind. The arrancar sat quietly as she tortured her food. She'd hardly spoken all day, so he started when she said, "I'm sorry, Xander. I know I'm no fun to be around right now."

"What?" The Sexta Espada had no idea what she was talking about.

"I'm sure you'd rather be with Anya."

"Who's Anya?"

Orihime looked up from her food, surprised. "Who's who?"

"Anya. You just said something about how I'd rather be with this Anya person, and you called me Xander."

She gasped. _Xander! Why would I call him Xander? Am I going crazy?_ Orihime rubbed her head.

"Are you okay?" Grimmjow asked.

"I'm sorry, Grimmjow-kun. I'm kind of tired. I think I'll lie down for a while." Orihime stood and crossed to her bed.

"Alright, Orihime. I'll be outside your door if you need anything." She didn't respond as she got into bed.

Orihime closed her eyes as she heard the door close as Grimmjow exited her room. She didn't know quite what was wrong with her today. She was upset that Ulquiorra wasn't her friend anymore, but she could deal with that. That hurt her deeply, but that wasn't what was bothering her. It was that _woman_. She didn't know who the woman from her dream was, but just the thought of her brought a flood of unknown emotions to the young woman. Surprisingly the most palpable of these emotions was guilt. She'd never felt remorse like this before. She didn't even know what she had done but whatever it was she _hated_ herself for it. She loathed herself. She wanted to die; she felt as though she deserved to die.

Orihime wept silently. She was ripping apart inside and she didn't know why. Eventually, Orihime fell asleep, tears still wet on her cheeks.

* * *

It was late afternoon in Hueco Mundo, and Orihime was still sleeping in her room. Grimmjow was still outside her door, as per Aizen's orders, taking a nap himself.

Inside Orihime's room, Orihime untangled herself from her sheets and stood. The sleepwalking girl walked to the patch of moonlight and sat in the same spot as when she had summoned the first slayer.

Orihime mimed pouring a liquid from one container to another, her eyes staring unseeingly before her. Orihime set down the empty container of her dream and spoke, "_Osiris, keeper of the gate, master of all fate, hear us._"(3)

Outside her door, Grimmjow's sensitive ears caught her words, even muffled as they were by the door. He awoke. He didn't know if Orihime had simply awoken and was talking to herself as she occasionally did, or if she was dreaming again. He pressed one ear to the door to discern the events occurring within.

Inside, Orihime mimed dipping two fingers into the nonexistent liquid in the jar she held in her dreams. She then made the motions that would mark her forehead and cheeks with the liquid if it actually was dripping from her fingers. "_Before time and after. Before knowing and nothing._" Orihime mimed pouring the liquid onto the floor before her. "_Accept our offering. Know our prayer._"

Grimmjow jumped to his feet. He hesitated a moment. He didn't want to go to Aizen; he hated the bastard.

Inside the room Orihime suddenly jerked back. She held her arms before her as blood began to soak the sleeves of her crisp, white gown, as though old wounds had been ripped open again on her arms. Orihime gasped at the sudden pain, though she didn't awaken.

At the sound of Orihime's gasp, Grimmjow immediately used sonido to reach Aizen's throne room. He may hate the bastard, but Orihime was in pain, and Aizen was the only one that knew what was going on.

* * *

Ulquiorra walked morosely through the drab corridors of Las Noches, no actual destination in mind. He wanted to see her. And, according to Grimmjow, she wanted to see him as well. His yearning to see her was heightened by this revelation. He had to see her.

As soon as this had been decided, Aizen and Grimmjow flash-stepped and sonidoed, respectively, past him. Dread filled the arrancar's mind. There would only be one reason that Grimmjow and Aizen would be rushing off somewhere together: Orihime was using magick.

Without wasting another moment, Ulquiorra followed them to Orihime's room.

* * *

Aizen and Grimmjow, soon joined by Ulquiorra, stopped before her door. Aizen quickly opened door and entered her room. The three Hueco Mundo residents walked over to the girl. Ulquiorra tried to rush over to Orihime when he noticed the blood on her sleeves, but Aizen put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Let her finish the spell, Ulquiorra. It would be rude to interrupt her."

Ulquiorra stared unbelievingly at Aizen. Before, Aizen's harsh words and cold eyes would leave him unaffected, but now they were spoken about his…his _friend_. Yes, he admitted it. Orihime was his friend.

On the floor, Orihime was breathing heavily. "_Osiris! Here lies the warrior of the people. Let her cross over._"

Grimmjow didn't know what to do. He couldn't approach her; Aizen would stop him in an instant. But Orihime looked like she was in pain.

Orihime released a groan, her face wincing from pain. Beneath the cloth of her sleeves, little bulges were moving. The round things traveled up her arms and neck. As they moved over her face, the onlookers discovered that the round lumps were not just underneath her dress, but underneath her _skin_. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow looked horrified as the things crawled beneath her skin. Aizen seemed intrigued.

"_Osiris, let her cross over! _Aahh…" Orihime began choking as the things beneath her skin met and converged at her throat. Orihime fell forward, her hands catching her before she collapsed. She opened her mouth and gagging sounds erupted from her throat. The head of a snake poked out of her mouth.

"Orihime!" Ulquiorra called and struggled to run toward her, but Aizen's hand was firm and kept him in place.

The snake slithered from her mouth. It hit the stone floor and immediately faded away, as though it was but a specter.

Ulquiorra fought Aizen's grip, and when he finally wrenched himself free, he ran to Orihime. He was thrown back however when a bright column of orange light surround her. The light swirled and moved like a mixture of liquid and lighting. "_Osiris, release her!_"

Around her, the world itself was changing. The air, the walls, the people, all of Hueco Mundo became liquid and began undulating. Reality was collapsing around her, nothing was real anymore.

_

* * *

_

Living World: Vizard Hideout

Ichigo was training with the vizards when he felt it: Orihime's reiatsu. He didn't question why he could feel it or what was happening. Instead, he immediately used flash-step to reach her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hiyori yelled.

"That's Orihime-chan's reiatsu!" Shinji exclaimed, before he followed Ichigo. The other vizards had looks of surprise before they too rushed to Orihime's location.

_Urahara Souten_

Urahara paused in his work. If he wasn't mistaken, he felt Orihime's reiatsu. There was a very slim chance that she would really be in the living world, but if it really was her…

"Urahara-san," Chad said as he stepped into Urahara's workshop. He was gasping from blasting away boulders for the past hour. Urahara looked at the boy and immediately recognized the hope in his eyes. Urahara nodded, and they left the store.

_Ishida Hospital_

Uryuu had regained his powers, and was currently training with his father. His father was cold and heartless; therefore, it wasn't hard for Uryuu to want to attack him. At this time, Uryuu was on the offensive, firing thousands of arrows at his father, when he paused. He felt Orihime's reiatsu! Without giving his father an explanation, Uryuu rushed from the training room beneath the hospital.

_

* * *

_

Soul Society: 10_th__ Division Offices_

Rangiku, who was teasing her taichou as he finished her paperwork, stopped mid-sentence when she felt her missing friend's reiatsu. She looked to Hitsugaya. He was alert. It seemed he felt it as well. The two members of the 10th squad dashed to her location.

_Kuchiki Residence_

Rukia and Byakuya were enjoying a quiet dinner when Rukia gasped. Fear flooded her. "Inoue!" Rukia jumped from her seat and ran from the room. Byakuya soberly followed his sister.

_Soul Society Archives_

Ukitake and Kyouraku both jumped as they felt the reiatsu of the girl who had assisted them in their research. Throwing the texts and scrolls aside, they flash-stepped out of the archives.

_

* * *

_

Hueco Mundo

Aizen watched fixatedly as Orihime gasped within the pillar of light. In all of his life, Aizen had never been this frightened. This spell he recognized. He recognized the pleads to Osiris, death itself. He recognized her wounds and the snake that fell from her mouth, both tests of worth and conviction. He recognized it all. He had read about it, every detail, in a book hidden away in the depths of the 46's archives. This spell was forbidden. Even the attempt of this spell warranted immediate execution upon entrance into the Soul Society. The fear was blatant within Aizen. This seemingly weak human girl before him was capable of erasing the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead. She could perform the spell of resurrection.

_

* * *

_

Living World

Ichigo arrived first. In an abandoned park, the boy saw his friend bleeding and panting, surrounded by a column of light. "Inoue!" he cried. He tried to approach her but the light and energy kept him away. The vizards, Urahara, Chad, and Uryuu soon arrived as well. They gasped at the sight before them. Orihime, innocent Orihime, was filled with dark pulsating energy and unbearable pain.

_

* * *

_

Soul Society

About half of the residents of Seireitei were gathered around the vibrantly lit figure of Orihime. Rangiku, who could not reach her friend, was shaking. She muttered, "Oh God, Orihime. What have they done to you?"

Rukia had also attempted to near her friend, but Byakuya's strong arms held her back. Any fool could feel the immense power radiating from Orihime, and he'd be damned if his sister was going to get caught in the crossfire.

Most of the other shinigami were stunned. The kind former-ryoka that half of them had met at least once was crying in pain before them while exuding a massive amount of energy. Her power was spreading across Seireitei in overbearing waves, electrifying the spirit particles, the very matter of the Soul Society.

Yamamoto-soutaicho watched in a mixture of awe and fear. If this girl really was working for Aizen, defeat was inevitable.

_

* * *

_

Hueco Mundo

Suddenly, Orihime's eyes grew wide. "No!" she screamed, horror visible in her countenance. The light around her vanished and she began to fall forward. In an instant, Ulquiorra was at her side. He caught her in his arms and held her, cautious of her wounds. He brushed the hair from her face, and real tears traced the permanent marks on his face.

_

* * *

_

Living World

The group watched as Orihime shrieked, "No!" The light disappeared immediately, and Orihime faded as she fell.

Ichigo turned to Urahara, rage mixing with the reiatsu he was now releasing. Gravity seemed to triple as everyone felt the pressure of Ichigo's reiatsu. Ichigo stalked toward Urahara and growled, "No more fucking waiting!"

_

* * *

_

Soul Society

Before the gathered shinigami, Orihime cried, "No!" and vanished as she had in the living world.

Rangiku fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Hitsugaya tried to comfort her, but she was inconsolable.

Rukia was no better. She wept as her brother held her and Renji awkwardly patted her back, though he was fighting tears as well.

Yamamoto's face was cold. "I'm going to send a group into Hueco Mundo to retrieve the girl." Rangiku, Rukia, and Renji looked hopefully at the captain-commander, though his next words crushed them. "If there is any evidence _at all_ that she is a traitor, kill her and perform a soul burial immediately. She will be executed upon arrival."

_

* * *

_

Hueco Mundo

Aizen stormed into his throne room. "She is a threat," he stated.

"Or an incredible asset." Hinamori's double appeared from the shadows. "Could you really throw away all of that power?"

"She has the power to destroy everything."

Hinamori smiled. "Don't worry. Her friends saw everything. They will come for her. Kill them, and you will break her. Break her and her power will be yours."

* * *

Ulquiorra carried Orihime to her bed. Grimmjow ripped open her bloody sleeves and Ulquiorra cleaned the deep gashes on their friend's arms. Grimmjow watched Ulquiorra delicately dab at the blood with a wet cloth. "She doesn't belong here," the Sexta Espada stated.

"I know."

"This place is destroying her."

"I know."

"We've got to get her out of here."

Ulquiorra turned his tear-filled emerald eyes to the arrancar. "I know."

* * *

(1) I added this because I thought Grimmjow would be the coolest big brother ever!

(2) I made Ulquiorra a tenor because Orihime is probably a soprano and the tenor and the soprano always fall in love. That's just the way of the world…er…opera world. The song is from the musical episode of Buffy. The woman's identity and story will be revealed in time.

(3) The spell is from Buffy of course!

A/N: If I don't get chapter 6 out next week, that just means that I'm really busy (which I really am). That does not mean that I'm dropping this story. Hopefully I'll get it out in time, but I'm warning you just in case.


	6. The Harsh Light of Day

A/N: Sorry for the delay, but you have no idea how hard this chapter was for me to write! It was the ultimate form of writer's block. I could write anything except this chapter! I'm so sorry about that!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or BtVS.

_

* * *

_

Giles: I suppose there is a sort of Machiavellian ingenuity to your transgression.  
Xander: I resent that! Or possibly thank you.

* * *

Chapter 6: The Harsh Light of Day

_Hueco Mundo_

Aizen sat, seemingly relaxed, on his throne. He was not relaxed in the slightest, however. He was in fact very tense. He had never questioned Hinamori's double's motives. He had never needed to. It had told him that its only motive was entertainment and that it found the war that was to ensue between Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society vastly entertaining. But now…he wasn't so sure. From the moment Aizen laid eyes on Orihime, it had been coaxing him to kidnap her, whispering about her potential. When he did kidnap her, it had continually convinced Aizen she was an asset and would never be a threat. It had never pressured him to spare his other servants before. What did it know about that girl that he did not?

"What are you thinking about?"

_Speak of the devil,_ Aizen thought, though he had no idea how true that statement was in his current circumstance.

* * *

Orihime awoke to a stinging pain on her arms. She hissed and tried to bat away what was causing her discomfort. She heard one voice chuckle and another voice tsk at her behavior before someone grabbed her wrist. The tsking voice said, "Stop that or you'll reopen your wounds. Now let me finish cleaning them." Slowly, Orihime opened her eyes. Looming above her were her two favorite arrancar, but her entire mind was focused on the one tending to her wounds.

"Ulquiorra-kun! You came to visit me!" Ulquiorra cocked his head slightly at her odd statement before returning to his task. It was then that Orihime noticed the deep gashes on her arms. "Um, Ulquiorra-kun? What happened?"

"I was hoping you'd tell us," Grimmjow said from his position at the foot of her bed.

"Huh?"

"You did another spell in your sleep," Ulquiorra explained.

Orihime glanced at her bloody arms. "What did I do this time?" she asked.

"I do not believe you did anything except wound yourself."

Orihime growled. "Wow, I'm pretty bad at this magick stuff, huh? All I ever do is stuff that could potentially or actually does harm me!"

Ulquiorra sighed. He had to admit; she was right.

Orihime examined her arms before saying, "Here, let me fix that." Touching her hair clips, she said, "Souten kisshun, I reject." The orange light of her power encompassed her arms and in a few moments she was completely healed.

_

* * *

_

Living World

Ichigo, Chad, and Uryuu were in full battle attire in Urahara Souten, not-so-patiently waiting as Urahara prepared to open the garganta.

Everyone's attention was arrested, however, with the appearance of the Senkai Gate. From the glowing door, Kuchiki Rukia, Abarai Renji, Matsumoto Rangiku, Hitsugaya Toushirou, and Kuchiki Byakuya emerged.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, his tone conveying that he was clearly still miffed about the Soul Society's eagerness to declare his friend a traitor.

"We've been given orders to rescue Inoue," Rukia explained, intentionally not mentioning the rest of their orders. Byakuya had been placed in charge, and though Rukia had told her brother that she would never forgive him if he executed her friend, she knew that he would obey Yamamoto-soutaichou's orders. However, she was smart enough to realize it was best if Ichigo didn't know that.

"Why?" Uryuu asked. "The Soul Society didn't seem enthusiastic about rescuing Inoue before."

"Yes, but…" Rukia bowed her head, "…we saw her last night. There was blood. I'm not quite sure what they were making her do, but…"

"We saw her too," Ichigo said.

Uryuu put his hand to his chin as he contemplated this development. "What was it that Inoue was doing? What would send her to the living world and then the Soul Society or visa versa?"

"Actually," said Urahara, looking down at the group from his perch atop a long piece of wood jutting from the side of a rock face in the underground training room, "she went to both at the same time."

"What! Are you saying she was in two worlds at once?"

Urahara scratched his chin. "Three actually."

"H-how is that possible?" Uryuu demanded.

Urahara smiled placidly. "There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, and we will discuss them after you save your friend. Everyone ready?" He glanced at the assembled group. "Seems like the last of our preparations is finally complete." (1)

Urahara tapped his cane on the wooden beam and began, "The stone bridging both worlds lies in my right hand, the sword securing reality in my left. Black-haired shepherd, chair of hanged men, with the arrival of the stratus, we strike the ibis." A line of energy connected Urahara's beam of wood and its twin in a neighboring rock face. A ripping noise was heard as the energy expanded, creating an eye-shaped opening in the world between the two beams of wood.

"This is the portal the arrancar pass through known as 'garganta,'" Urahara explained. "Within, no road exists, and spirits spiral around with great turbulence. Keep your footing by traversing the spirits, and continue onward. Head toward darkness, and you will eventually reach Hueco Mundo."

"Got it," Ichigo said as others nodded. "Urahara-san," said Ichigo, grabbing the man's attention. "Would you mind watching over the others for me? It'd be nice if you could say something so that they won't worry about me."

"I see," replied Urahara. "Your friends, huh?"

"After I return," Ichigo continued, "I'll tell them sorry."

"Got it."

The group consisting of humans and shinigami prepared themselves. With the signal from Ichigo, they dashed into the garganta.

With so many experienced shinigami, a strong bridge of spirit particles was easily made. The group ran as fast as they could towards the darkness. Eventually, they burst through a wall, finding themselves in a empty, white corridor.

_

* * *

_

Hueco Mundo

"Aizen-sama!" a lower-level arrancar exclaimed as it dashed into the throne room. "Aizen-sama! Shinigami have been spotted in Hueco Mundo!"

Aizen smirked and lowered his teacup to the table. It was time to demonstrate his power. Turning to the gathered espada, he made one statement, "Kill them."

* * *

The rescue team barely had time to asses their surroundings before an army of arrancar led by espada appeared.

"Welcome to Las Noches," the demented Cinco Espada chuckled before the army attacked.

It seemed like a massacre. Dozens of arrancar against six shinigami and two humans.

In the chaos, no one noticed the absence of two notable espada.

* * *

Orihime paced in her room, jumping at the slightest sound. The crash she just heard could have killed one of her friends, and that thunk could have maimed another. Orihime wanted to help her friends, but she didn't know what to do.

She was so startled when the door to her room opened, she nearly fell over. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow entered her room. Grimmjow, in full stealth mode, glanced down the hallway before quietly closing her door.

"Ulquiorra-kun! Grimmjow-kun! What are you doing here?" Orihime exclaimed.

"Shhhh!" Grimmjow insisted, effectively quieting her.

"We are here to help you escape," Ulquiorra stated.

"Really!" Orihime squealed. Noticing the glare from Grimmjow, she lowered her voice. "Really?" she whispered.

"Yes, really," Grimmjow affirmed.

Orihime was elated. "Oh this is so exciting! I can take you guys to the mall and show you my home and my school and we can make curry and wasabi cookies and – "

"We are not coming with you." That ended Orihime's babble-fest immediately.

She looked questioningly at Ulquiorra. "Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, we're dead," Grimmjow stated frankly.

"Oh, that's alright!" Orihime assured them. "Lots of my friends are dead! There's Kuchiki-san and Abarai-kun and Rangiku-san and Hitsugaya-taichou and – "

Ulquiorra stepped forward and lightly placed his hands around her own that had heretofore been ticking off her many deceased friends. "Orihime, this is different." Real sadness showed through Ulquiorra's normally emotionless façade. "We're arrancar, Orihime. We're dangerous. I don't want to hurt you, Orihime."

Anger flared within the normally bubbly girl. "Oh, no you don't." Grimmjow grimaced. Her voice was rising to dangerous levels. "Don't you dare give me that 'I'm too dangerous to be around' speech because next thing you know you're off in Tibet trying to find yourself, and then just when I thought I'd gotten over you, you come back and you don't go wolfy anymore and you turn my whole world upside down! Well, you know what! I'm not taking it this time, mister! I might as well just start being gay right now!" Orihime's chest heaved as she took a greatly needed breath. The arrancar before her both looked slightly dazed due to the fact that they had no idea what she was talking about.

There was an awkward silence before Grimmjow asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I don't know!" Orihime snapped. With her anger spent, tears fell from the girl's eyes, her countenance downcast.

Ulquiorra's eyes softened. Placing a pale hand on her shoulder he said, "Orihime, we are needed here if we are to make sure Aizen does not kidnap you again."

"I don't care about that," she insisted, though her determination was getting rather weak.

"But we do," Grimmjow countered.

"Orihime, we will visit, if we can," Ulquiorra offered.

Orihime smiled lightly up at Ulquiorra. She knew he was lying. She knew that during the war those words "if we can" essentially meant the same thing as "we never can." Nonetheless, his words comforted her. Those words meant that maybe, after the war was over, they really could be friends.

Grimmjow quietly peaked out the door. "Uh, guys, sorry if I'm ruining a moment or anything, but we need to go. Now." Orihime and Ulquiorra glanced out the door, as well. The noises from the battle were getting louder, and dust and debris were flying down the hall. Ulquiorra nodded. He grabbed Orihime's hand, and the three stealthily left her room.

* * *

The rescue team had congregated in a tiny, deserted room. They were trapped. The army of arrancar was outside the room attempting to beat down the door. The rescuers were exhausted. They couldn't fight anymore.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Rangiku asked.

Ichigo sighed. "Urahara was right. We weren't ready. I don't know how we're going to save Inoue now."

Hitsugaya glanced to the barricaded door. "This doesn't make any sense."

"What do you mean?" Renji asked.

Hitsugaya gestured to the door. "This – this is overkill! Look at us! We're reduced to hiding!" The tiny taichou seemed pensive.

Byakuya shot a glare at the young taichou who had clearly struck a nerve. "You make it sound as though we're cowards."

"We are cowards," Ichigo growled.

Byakuya turned his glare to Ichigo. "Think about this logically. Entering that fray is suicide. You may feel cowardly for not rushing into death, but remember, our mission is to rescue that girl. Dying senselessly will achieve nothing to that end."

Now seething, Ichigo stood. "Are you insinuating that I'm stupid?" Ichigo was practically shaking with rage.

The corners of Byakuya's mouth twitched slightly. "I have no need to insinuate anything."

Ichigo growled and pulled out his zanpakutou.

"Enough!" Rukia yelled, intercepting the fight ensuing between her brother and her friend. "Fighting between ourselves is pointless. Now grow up! Both of you!"

Byakuya opened his mouth to counter her insult when the unmistakable sound of grinding stone met their ears. Eight pairs of eyes flew to the door, but it still held fast. Their search for the source of the noise was fruitful a moment later when a tiny stone door heretofore imperceptible in the wall of the room swung outward.

A smiling face framed by bright orange hair popped out of the hole the door created. "Hi, everyone!" Orihime squealed as she crawled the rest of the way out of the exposed tunnel.

"Inoue!" Rukia and Rangiku squealed, dashing to embrace their friend.

"Inoue! How did you escape?" Uryuu asked.

In place of answering, Orihime moved further into the room, giving her two companions room to exit the tunnel. "I had a little help," she said.

Ulquiorra stood and lightly brushed the dust off his uniform. Grimmjow stood behind him shaking the dust a bit violently from his blue hair.

Ichigo was speechless. He stood rigidly, his mouth hanging open while pointing comically to the two arrancar. The rest of the rescue team readied their weapons of choice.

Grimmjow, as though no one had made any threatening motions at all, said, "Don't get too comfortable, kids. We're not in the clear yet."

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Ichigo exclaimed, pulling out his zanpakutou.

Orihime stood before the arrancar and spread out her arms in a protective gesture. "I won't let you hurt my friends!"

"Friends?" Ichigo asked, confusion and anguish lacing his voice.

Rukia stiffened as her brother's hand went for his zanpakutou.

"Inoue!" she yelled, attempting to get to the bottom of this predicament before Byakuya did something rash. "What do you mean they're your friends?"

Orihime turned to Rukia. "They've taken care of me while I've been here. They want to help me escape." Rukia sighed. She should have known. Orihime had the uncanny ability to make friends anywhere she went, be they ally or enemy. Though right now that ability was not working in Orihime's best interest when it came to the Soul Society's view of her. "Inoue, answer me one thing: did you willingly come to Hueco Mundo?"

Surprise crossed Orihime's face. The rescuers were all tense, hoping for one answer and dreading another. "What do you – "

Orihime's question was cut short when the stoic Cuarto Espada stepped forward. The white hats' grips on their weapons became tighter. "Orihime is not a traitor."

"Ulquiorra-kun, what's going – "

"I intentionally gave Orihime twelve hours to say good bye so as to convince you that she was traitorous and joined Aizen's army willingly."

"Ul-Ulquiorra-kun?" Ulquiorra turned to Orihime. Fat, shiny tears pooled in her eyes before sliding down her face. "Why? Why, Ulquiorra-kun?"

The espada stepped toward her, a regretful expression on his pale face. Orihime took a step back. Ulquiorra stopped and gazed at her painfully. "I'm sorry, Orihime. I'm truly sorry. It's different now. We're…" Ulquiorra didn't want to admit it in front of so many people, but hurt was still evident in Orihime's eyes. "…We're _friends_ now."

Orihime's face broke into a wide smile as she looked up at the Cuatro Espada. "You think of me as your friend!" The glee could not be masked in the young woman's voice, despite the fresh tears on her cheeks.

Ulquiorra took Orihime's hand in his cold one. "I really do, Orihime."

Another loud bang interrupted the heartfelt moment (and the awkward silence among the other inhabitants of the room). "Damn it, something always breaks up your moments, huh?" Grimmjow chuckled slightly. "Okay everyone, time to go!"

"Go? How are we supposed to…" With a simple gesture of Grimmjow's hand, a garganta opened revealing a path to Urahara Souten, effectively ending Rangiku's question. "…oh."

Grimmjow grabbed Orihime's shoulders. "Let's get a move on, princess." With one harsh shove, Orihime was stumbling into the garganta and on her way home. Turning to the rest of the group, Grimmjow said, "Okay, everyone, let's go!" The rest quickly followed his orders, though some did so reluctantly.

Orihime took one last look back at Hueco Mundo and at the friends she was leaving behind before the garganta closed.

* * *

(1) That whole ending part is from chapter 240.

A/N: This chapter sucks. It really does. But you know the saying: The best way to cure writer's block is to lower your standards. The next chapter will be better because this beast is out of the way.


	7. Normal Again

A/N: I promise this is the last chapter where Orihime sleep-casts.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or BtVS.

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* * *

_

Riley: These spells…these really work? I mean, can you really turn your enemies inside-out or learn to excrete gold coins?  
Anya: That one's not so much fun.

* * *

Chapter 7: Normal Again

_Living World_

It had been a week since Orihime returned from Hueco Mundo, and though she was elated to be home and with her friends, she missed Ulquiorra and Grimmjow terribly.

Luckily, she was over her crush on Ichigo, so when he finally asked Rukia on a date, she was not heartbroken. Needless to say, her friends were quite surprised if not a little frightened when Orihime told Ichigo that she wished Rukia and him happiness but would beat him to death with a shovel if he hurt Rukia. (1)

Unfortunately, Orihime realized that her crush on Ichigo had merely been replaced with an even stronger crush on the stoic espada. Orihime didn't know if she'd ever see him again, and it often brought tears to her eyes.

She sighed as she prepared for bed. She had missed her fuzzy pink pajamas and her soft bed; that was certain. "At least I stopped using magick in my sleep," she told herself as she lowered her head to the pillow. She was asleep in minutes.

* * *

At the Urahara Souten, Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Uryuu, and Chad were demanding answers. "You told us you knew what was going on," Uryuu insisted.

Urahara chuckled. "Actually, Ishida-san, I intimated, and I could very well have been lying."

Ichigo practically snarled and leapt up from his seat. "Are you going to tell us or not. We're wasting time here! One of us should be protecting Orihime!" Ever since Orihime's return, there was always someone guarding her in case Aizen attempted to kidnap her again. Of course, they decided they had to spare a few minutes to have this meeting, as they couldn't bring Orihime with them. They didn't want her to know what was happening as they thought it'd frighten her. None of them actually thought of asking her if she knew about it in the first place.

"Calm yourself, Kurosaki-san." Urahara smiled and waved his fan placidly. "I will tell you. I believe Orihime used some form of kidou that wasn't powered by reiatsu."

"I-is that possible?" Rukia asked.

Urahara shrugged. "I am not very familiar with the occult, but from what I have gathered, magick is real."

"You mean like magicians and magic tricks?" Ichigo asked.

Urahara smirked. "I mean like witches."

* * *

Orihime twitched a bit in her sleep. She was dreaming of Ulquiorra. He was walking away from her, leaving her in the living world as he returned to Hueco Mundo. Tears started running down her cheeks in her dream as well as in reality. She tried to call out to him, to call out his name. Instead, she uttered foreign words.

"_I conjure thee by Barabbas, by Satanis, and the Devil._" Power was palpable in the air around her, easily drawn by such a simple spell. "_As thou art burning, let Oz and Veruca's deceitful hearts be broken. This way, I conjure thee by the Saracen Queen and the name of hell. Let them find no love or solace. Let them find no peace as well._"

In the dimension of Arashmahaar, a daemon noticed the power and destructive nature of the spell Orihime was using.

"_Let this image seal his fate, not to love, only hate._" At the completion of the spell, the magicks dissipated as no actual picture of the intended targets was being burned. The powerful words amounted to nothing except a bit of residual magick making Orihime's hair slightly frizzy. That, and the notice of a powerful daemon.

A few seconds later, there was a loud "poof" noise, there was a large scorch mark in the middle of Orihime's floor, and a blue daemon with a rather wrinkled face was standing right in the middle of her bedroom.

With a deep voice and a great many theatrics, D'Hoffryn pronounced in a powerful voice, "I am D'Hoff – " It was then that he noticed that Orihime was not cowering in terror or stricken with awe. She was, in fact, asleep. Losing quite a bit of his gusto, the daemon sighed loudly. "Oh, come on. I came all the way from Arashmahaar and you're asleep?" D'Hoffryn trudged over to her bed and started to shake the girl so as to awaken her.

Orihime opened her eyes, gaining a bleary view of the world. She then got a view of the tall, robed daemon standing over her. "Ahhhhhhh!" she screamed, sitting up straight in bed. She subsequently knocked her rather hard head on D'Hoffryn's, sending him flying back. He stumbled backward, tripped on the hem of his robe, and went toppling into Orihime's wall. There was a crunching sound as one of the daemon's horns pierced the wall and proceeded to remain stuck there.

Orihime watched the daemon attempt to free his horn in vain. Eventually he turned his eyes to her and said, "Um, I – uh – I seem to be stuck. Uh – could you just…" Always accommodating, Orihime smiled widely and stood to help the daemon. Orihime held onto his head, inadvertently poking his eye, put one foot on the wall, and yanked his horn out of her wall.

Once the daemon was free and had dusted the drywall from his horn, he turned to the girl. "Who are you?" she asked.

D'Hoffryn puffed up a bit. "I am D'Hoffryn." He then got a good look at the girl. "Don't I know you?"

Orihime cocked her head in confusion. "Um, I don't think so."

The daemon scrutinized her for a bit. "Yeah, I do know you! You're Willow!"

Orihime looked surprised. "Um, no, sir. I believe you have the wrong person. I'm Orihime."

D'Hoffryn waved his hand as though flicking away her argument. "You _were_ Willow though. I'd recognize that magick anywhere."

"Magick!" Orihime squeaked. "Oh no! I used magick again? What did I do this time? I didn't hurt anything did I?" D'Hoffryn gave her a confused look. Orihime quickly explained. "I do spells in my sleep."

D'Hoffryn continued to stare at her for a moment before he burst out laughing. "It's not funny!" Orihime insisted. But D'Hoffryn couldn't stop chuckling. (2)

* * *

Uryuu twitched then jumped to his feet. "Do you sense that?"

"Sense what?" Renji asked.

"I don't sense anything," Ichigo said.

"You never do," Uryuu muttered.

Before an argument could ensue, Chad stood as well. "I sense it, but I'm not sure what it is."

Uryuu shook his head. "Me neither."

"Is it an arrancar!?" Ichigo exclaimed.

"No," Uryuu said. There were a few sighs of relief, though everyone tensed at the Quincy's next words, "I've never felt a reiatsu like it before."

* * *

In Orihime's apartment, Orihime and D'Hoffryn were sitting at her table drinking tea. D'Hoffryn had explained to her that in her previous life she had been a powerful witch, and that the spells she was performing in her sleep she had probably cast in her previous life. "Willow, huh," Orihime said. The name sounded familiar, nice. Of course it did. It's _her_ name. Or it was, in any case.

"Yep," the daemon responded, sipping his tea. D'Hoffryn had explained that her imaginary family, Buffy, Xander, Giles, and Joyce, had actually been her friends when she was known as Willow. It was a slight comfort for Orihime. At least she knew she wasn't insane.

"So," said D'Hoffryn, setting down his tea. "The reason I came is to offer you a job."

"A job?"

"As a vengeance daemon."

Orihime was startled. "Oh, I don't want to be a daemon, and vengeance is kind of a bad thing, isn't it? That's not exactly the kind job I want!"

D'Hoffryn stood, regaining his intimidating aura. "Orihime, your power is great. You will make a fine vengeance daemon." (3)

Orihime hopped to her feet as well. "But please, D'Hoffryn-sama, if I was a vengeance daemon, I'd have to hurt people. I don't want to hurt people!"

Annoyance flashed in the powerful daemon's eyes. "That is your answer?"

"I-it is," Orihime stammered.

D'Hoffryn's voice took on a menacing edge. "I'm sorry to hear that." There was a moment of tension before D'Hoffryn seemed to deflate back to the daemon Orihime had been having tea with not moments ago. "Oh, well. Here is my talisman." He pulled out a brown disk from his robe and handed it to the girl. "You change your mind, give us a chant." Orihime nodded noncommittally. With another "poof" and scorch mark on her floor, D'Hoffryn was gone.

The next moment however, Orihime's front door was knocked down by a group of concerned friends.

"Inoue!" Ichigo yelled as he, Rukia, Renji, Uryuu, and Chad tumbled through her door into her living room. "Are you okay?"

Orihime looked startled. "Of course I'm fine, Kurosaki-kun. Why wouldn't I be?"

Uryuu fixed his glasses as he explained, "We felt a strange reiatsu coming from your apartment, Inoue."

Orihime smiled brightly. "That was just D'Hoffryn-sama! He was offering me a job as a vengeance daemon."

Orihime's friends gazed at her incredulously. "Inoue, what was it really? This is important."

A hurt look entered her eyes. "You don't believe me? But his talisman's right here!"

Ignoring the talisman that emitted no reiatsu and, according to shinigami, was therefore harmless, Rukia stepped forward and placed a hand on Orihime's shoulder, "We do believe you, Inoue! We really do. We just wanted to be sure."

"But – " Ichigo began, but a subtle kick in the shins from Rukia silenced any protests.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Inoue," Rukia said, quickly hugging her friend before dragging the boys out the door.

Once outside, Ichigo launched at Rukia. "What was that about? We needed to know what that reiatsu was!"

Rukia sighed. "We weren't going to get anything out of Inoue," Rukia argued. Ichigo huffed and sat outside Orihime's door to guard her home.

Inside, Orihime was still slightly hurt that her friends chalked up her experience to her overactive imagination. _Will they ever believe me?_

* * *

The next morning, Orihime awoke early. She dressed quickly, nearly tripped over the shinigami she found in front of her door, apologized profusely, and then made her way to a shop she'd never entered before.

She was glad Ichigo wasn't following her as she entered the shop; she was sure he would disapprove.

She walked through the door of the dimly lit magick shop, eyeing the curious wares lining the walls.

An elderly man with a thick eastern-European accent and an aura of mystery said, "Ah, come in child. What can I do for you today?"

"I've been unwittingly doing spells in my sleep, and a daemon called D'Hoffryn told me it was because I was a witch in a past life. Can you help me?"

The shopkeeper immediately dropped his mysterious act, stood a little straighter, and smiled. When he spoke, his eastern-European accent was replaced with an American one. "Oh sure!" he said. "An actual witch, huh? I don't get many of those anymore. Mostly kids looking for spooky stuff around Halloween." (4)

The shopkeeper led Orihime back into the shop to a large bookshelf. "So, what level of spells are you doing? Must be pretty intense to warrant D'Hoffryn's attention."

"I don't really know," Orihime said. "I've always been asleep. Plus, I'm pretty new at this stuff…well, I am in this life."

The man nodded. Pulling out a rather large, leather bound book, he said, "Here we go. You're problem is control. You've got the magick, so you need to learn to control it. The spells in here are rather simple, but take a lot of concentration. They should help."

"Thanks!" Orihime said excitedly. She purchased the book and left the shop.

* * *

Orihime studied the spell book intently. The spells were familiar and oddly comforting. They came easily to her. Ever resourceful, she found a spell she considered extremely useful. It allowed her to create her own ball of sunlight, an instant way to dust pesky vampires. She practiced quite often, and after five days she was able to create a bright orb of light. She then decided to practice her spell and thereby her concentration in a more hectic situation. Thus she found herself sitting in a cemetery waiting for a fledgling vampire to rise.

Orihime was glad that her friends weren't keeping such close tabs on her anymore. They had become a bit more lax after almost two weeks with little arrancar activity. Otherwise, she was sure they would never allow her to go to a cemetery at eleven PM. She had hacked into the local coroner's office files and found the perfect candidate to practice her magick on. Now she just had to wait for him to rise.

The first hour went by rather quickly as she brought her chemistry homework to occupy her time. She became a little cold during the second hour, and by one AM she decided that chemistry homework must actually be daemons in disguise.

Leaning against a chilling gravestone, Orihime snuggled further into her jacket and reread the problem in her chemistry book. "0.10 molar sodium hydroxide is titrated with 0.50 molar acetic acid. What is the pH of the resulting solution?" Orihime practically growled. "This is so redundant! I've done ten problems like this by now!" The cold, grumbling girl rubbed her eyes before throwing her chemistry book on the grass before her. Glaring at the grave of the newly made vampire, Orihime grumbled, "Why don't you just rise already?"

As if granting her wish, a hand shot out from the dirt. Orihime jumped to her feet in glee. Quickly she cupped her hands before her and concentrated, ready to let the light blossom over her palms.

Then she waited for the vampire to unearth himself. And she waited. And she waited. After ten minutes of watching a flailing hand, Orihime took pity on the vampire. She released the gathered magick and trudged over to the vampire's grave, grabbed his hand, and pulled.

With her added help, the fledgling vamp was able to pull himself aboveground. Orihime stood patiently as he stood and dusted the soil from his clothes. "Thanks! I got stuck," he said, his daemonic visage and fangs belying his friendly smile.

"No problem!" Orihime replied, before getting down to business. The vampire was about to declare his thirst and decide that Orihime would be a tasty snack, when the reincarnated witch beat him to the punch. She once again cupped her hands and gathered enough magick to create sunlight.

"Hey, what are you – " was all the vampire was able to utter before a bright flash of light erupted from Orihime's hands. The daemon screamed in pain, and the smell of burning flesh made Orihime grimace. When her blinding light dissipated, the vampire was not reduced to ashes as Orihime had expected. Instead, his burnt body was writhing on the ground as he howled in pain.

"Oh, sorry!" Orihime apologized for her shoddy slaying attempt as she pulled out her stake. "Guess I need more practice." Orihime swiftly staked the suffering vampire. Once he was reduced to dust, she gathered her homework and left the cemetery.

On her walk home, Orihime heard crashes and thumps emanating from an alley followed by bright flashes of light. Curiosity overpowered reason, and Orihime decided to investigate. Peering into the alley, Orihime saw Rukia and Ichigo battling a large hollow. The hollow took a swipe at Rukia who dodged it nimbly giving Ichigo an opening to slash its mask with his zanpakutou. _They really do work well together,_ Orihime thought as she greeted her victorious friends.

"Inoue!" Ichigo exclaimed. "What are you doing out here so late!"

"Studying," Orihime said, raising her chemistry book in explanation.

Rukia sighed. "Why are you studying so far from your apartment at two in the morning?" she clarified.

"Oh! I was waiting for a vampire to rise."

Both shinigami stared at their friend incredulously. "Inoue," Ichigo said exasperatedly, "go home and go to bed."

Orihime frowned. She could tell they didn't believe her. "Alright," she said resignedly before heading home.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter: Orihime's friends discover how powerful she actually is! Reviews are greatly appreciated!

(1) Okay, I'm sick of Rukia and Ichigo not admitting that they like each other, so I just went ahead and put them together. I also wanted to make Orihime threaten Ichigo in the same way Willow threatened Riley. That was just fun!

(2) I know D'Hoffryn's a little OOC, but he seems kind of like a fun-loving guy when he's not killing or maiming someone.

(3) D'Hoffryn's words from here on are all from Buffy.

(4) Can anyone tell me what scene from Buffy this resembles? Hint hint: Miss Calendar!


	8. The Witch

A/N: Grrr…this chapter's not up to par either. Don't worry, the climax is only a few chapters away, and that I am looking forward to writing, so it will above par to me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or BtVS.

_

* * *

_

Donny: So all these books got spells in 'em? Turn people into frogs, things like that?  
Xander: Yeah, we're building a race of frog-people. It's a good time.

* * *

Chapter 8: The Witch

_Hueco Mundo_

The Hinamori double fumed as it attempted to convince Aizen. "You need to capture her again."

Aizen replied calmly, "She was becoming a liability. Now she's no longer an issue."

It leaned over Aizen's throne; it's eyes hard and icy. "She's even more of an issue now. She's powerful, and the Soul Society may use her power. If they do, our defeat is assured."

Aizen studied the creature that used Hinamori's face. "Is there a way we can control her once we have her?"

Hinamori smirked. "You find her, then I'll break her."

_

* * *

_

Living World

In Karakura, Orihime hummed happily as she walked to the grocery. The streets were filled with friendly people, the sun was shining, and the sky was clear. It seemed as though nothing could go wrong.

"Inoue!"

Orihime turned around and greeted her friends in a chipper manner. "Hi, Kurosaki-kun! Kuchiki-san!"

"Inoue," Rukia said, catching up to her bubbly friend. "We wanted to talk to you about the other night."

"The other night?" Orihime asked confusedly.

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. "You shouldn't be out so late, Inoue. It's not safe."

"Oh!" Orihime exclaimed, understanding dawning over her features. "You mean two nights ago when I ran into you after dusting a vampire."

"Inoue," Rukia sighed exasperatedly. "You need to stop these wild fantasies."

"Fantasies – "

Orihime's sentence was cut off as Rukia and Ichigo tensed. Orihime felt it too. An arrancar was in the area, and he was close.

"Stay here, Inoue," Ichigo ordered as he and Rukia followed the powerful reiatsu to its source.

Indignantly, Orihime stomped her foot. "I can help, too!" she argued before following her friends.

Ichigo and Rukia found themselves in an alley occupied by the Octava Espada, Szayel Aporro Granz. Orihime arrived just in time to catch Ichigo's and Rukia's lifeless bodies as her friends readied to fight in their shinigami forms. Orihime gently laid her friends' bodies on the ground.

"Well," the pink-haired espada said, assuming his usual cocky stance. "It seems you can't walk two steps in this town without encountering a shinigami."

_That's better than encountering a daemon,_ Orihime thought bemusedly.

"And if it isn't La Princesa del Mundo Hueco," Szayel said, his words ripping Orihime from her thoughts. Orihime didn't know what to do. She had been preparing for this moment. This was the culmination of those hours of studying spells. But this wasn't like dusting a vampire. This didn't seem as natural to Orihime. At that moment all spells and magick flew from Orihime's mind. All she could see was her possible impending recapture. Orihime stood at the mouth of the alley, stunned, her hands clasped nervously before her. "What's the matter, Princesa? Aren't you ready to go home?" Szayel smirked as his mocking words visibly angered Ichigo and frightened Orihime.

"You bastard!" Ichigo yelled before charging at Szayel bearing his zanpakutou.

"Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed as Szayel dodged Ichigo easily and smashed his fist into the substitute shinigami's stomach with a great amount of force. Rukia and Orihime watched with horror as Ichigo coughed up blood.

Orihime's nerves were tingling. Ichigo couldn't win this! He was too rash, Szayel too calculated. Ichigo would become more reckless as Szayel deliberately provoked him.

Rukia ran to her fallen boyfriend, but the Octava Espada was expecting that. With a swift kick, Rukia too was lying on the ground nursing bruised ribs.

Orihime was panicking. Szayel was prepared for their every move. They needed Uryuu or Chad, the ones with level heads.

Orihime briefly decided that Ichigo would be horrible at chess before she saw Szayel approach her wounded friends. Ichigo was getting to his feet, but the woundless arrancar was much faster.

Without thinking, Orihime charged at the arrancar. She wasn't quite sure what she was doing. The best she could hope for was to knock him off balance, but she charged anyway. Too quick to be seen, the espada grabbed the girl by the neck and lifted her off the ground. Orihime gasped and clawed at Szayel's hand as it gradually cut off her air supply.

"Why, Princesa! You mustn't endanger yourself so. Aizen-sama wouldn't appreciate that." Orihime eyes were wide with fear. "Be a good girl and sit still." Szayel then threw her to the ground, her side hitting the asphalt painfully.

"Inoue!" Rukia yelled as Orihime fell. The girl tentatively felt her side, which was now bloody due to her skin being scraped by the asphalt.

The pain mingled with something else within Orihime, making her mind fuzzy. Anger was building within the normally passive girl. She missed Grimmjow and Ulquiorra terribly but didn't particularly want to go back to Hueco Mundo even to see them, and she'd be damned if she was going to let this insane arrancar kidnap her.

In the revel of her anger, a spell came unbidden to her mind. It was unfamiliar, unlike the ones she'd practiced. She didn't think she'd performed this spell before in either life. It took her a moment to transfer the thoughts into words, but when she spoke, magick was palpable in the air.

"_Goddess Hecate, work thy will,_" the arrancar and shinigami turned to Orihime as the air became charged with energy. The witch's face was hidden beneath a fringe of hair. (1)

"I-Inoue?" Rukia said tentatively.

Orihime looked up, causing Ichigo and Rukia to gasp. Their bubbly friend's eyes were now completely black, two ebony pools reflecting the raw power within the girl. Lights began to swirl in the air before her as she stood. Extending her hand out to a very confused arrancar, Orihime finished her incantation. "_Before thee let the unclean thing crawl!_" The lights built and swirled around Orihime's outstretched arm before they unleashed their energy on Szayel. A look of panic crossed his face before the brilliant flames engulfed him.

In a moment, the flames were gone, and Szayel's empty arrancar uniform fell to the ground. Orihime's eyes cleared and she blinked a few times before directing her sight to the pile of clothes.

"Inoue," Ichigo began, "w-what did you do?"

A tiny, pink, whiskered nose poked out from beneath the white cloth. The nose was followed by a pink rat's head with tiny white marks resembling glasses surrounding its eyes. The plump pink rat sniffed and twitched its nose in a very rat-like manner.

"Inoue, is that – "

"He's so cute!" Orihime exclaimed, rushing over the bright rodent. The happy girl attempted to stroke the rat's fur with a finger, but either the rat disliked people or he recognized the culprit of his current predicament, because he used his large rat teeth to bite Orihime's finger painfully.

"Ahhh!" Orihime screamed, flinging her arm around while trying to dislodge the rat which was holding on to her finger with his teeth for dear life.

Rukia, turning away from the odd sight of her friend unsuccessfully battling an arrancar rat, said, "Did Inoue just turn that espada into a rat, or am I just having a very disturbing dream?"

Ichigo, his eyes fixed on the peculiar sight before him, replied, "I think Inoue just turned that espada into a rat." Turning to Rukia, he asked, "How is that possible?"

Rukia shook her head. "I don't know, but I think we should get this rat to Urahara." Ichigo nodded in confirmation. Rukia searched the ground for a moment before picking up a tattered purse from a pile of trash. "Inoue!" Rukia called, gathering the other girl's attention.

"Yes," Orihime said, the helpless rat still dangling from her finger in what must have been a painful grip.

"Put the rat in here," Rukia ordered while opening the purse.

The young witch nodded and held the pink rat over the bag. Recognizing a safe haven, the rat released Orihime's finger and plopped into the bag. Rukia quickly clasped the purse shut.

"What are you going to do with him?" Orihime asked, before popping her sore and slightly bleeding finger into her mouth.

"We're going to take him to Urahara."

Orihime nodded as she pulled her finger from her mouth to make sure the bleeding had stopped before calling on her souten kisshun to heal her finger and her scraped side. "Well, if the two of you are going to take care of Pinky, I'm going to finish my shopping."

"Pinky?" Ichigo asked.

Orihime gazed at the shinigami with wide eyes. "Yeah. Pinky the rat. As in _Pinky and the Brain_." Orihime obviously took their incredulous countenances for looks of understanding because she quickly bid her friends goodbye, leaving them stunned in the alley with a purse containing a pink rat who had not moments ago been named 'Pinky' and who had not minutes ago not even been a rat at all.

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia barged into Urahara Souten. "Ah, Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san! What brings you here?" Urahara greeted them in his usual smiling manner.

"We caught an espada," Ichigo replied in his usual blunt manner.

Urahara almost dropped his fan, and his mouth fell open. "Are you serious?" he asked, his eyes wide. Rukia nodded. "Well, where is it?!" Urahara asked, seeming a little too enthused. Though with Urahara, that might've been normal.

Rukia plopped the old purse down on Urahara's table. "He's in there," she said.

Urahara hurriedly opened the bag and gazed inside. He then looked at the shinigami with a confused expression. "That's a rat."

"Yes," said Rukia.

"An espada rat," Ichigo supplied.

Urahara looked back into the bag, then back at the shinigami. "No. That's just a rat. A dead rat, I'll grant you. The soul of a rat, but that's just a rat."

Rukia sighed. "Well, that rat _was_ an espada."

Urahara looked incredulous. "Why is he a rat?"

"Inoue did that," Ichigo said.

"How?"

"We think it was a spell," Rukia answered. "Like that magick you mentioned."

Urahara's jaw dropped. "I think I've underestimated this magick thing."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia looked at Ichigo like he'd grown a second head. "She turned him into a rat!" Rukia exclaimed. "That's not something you see everyday!"

"So," Ichigo replied. "I thought you could do that with kidou, too."

Urahara shook his head. "No, you can't. You can use kidou to make something _look_ like something else or use what you have to _shape_ it the way you want, but you can't _change _reality. You can't completely change a _soul_."

"Ichigo," Rukia said. "That arrancar is now a rat in every way, shape, and form. I know you can't sense it, but its reiatsu feels as though it was never human at all."

"Oh."

* * *

A few hours later, Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Orihime, Uryuu, and Chad had congregated in Urahara Souten.

"So why are we here?" Uryuu asked exasperatedly.

"Because of this," Urahara responded, setting on the table a cage containing a fuzzy pink rat.

"Pinky!" Orihime exclaimed.

Uryuu looked slightly lost. "Pinky?"

Urahara sighed. "This rat was formerly the eighth espada."

The uninformed part of the group was dumbfounded. "How is that possible?" Uryuu asked.

"Inoue did a spell," Ichigo explained. Everyone turned to Orihime who nodded emphatically. The others seemed apprehensive, but Orihime smiled widely.

"That's…that's…" Uryuu couldn't quite find the correct words. "Incredible."

A sense of fear rippled over the group. Such a complete transformation was unheard of, thought impossible even. That kind of power was incredible, devastating in its enormity. For such energy to be controlled by such an oblivious young woman was frightening. If Orihime turned an arrancar into a rat unintentionally, the notions of what else she was capable of were staggering.

Urahara nodded solemnly. "Inoue-san. I need you to reverse the spell."

Orihime's smile fell. "I don't think I can, Urahara-san. I don't remember ever doing that spell before. I think I'd just heard it before. Plus, expelling Hecate would take a lot more control than I currently have."

"Hecate?" Ichigo asked, but his comment was interrupted by Urahara.

"You'd heard it before?"

Orihime nodded. "In my past life."

"Past life?" Urahara prodded her to continue.

"Yeah, I started doing spells in my sleep while I was in Hueco Mundo, and that daemon D'Hoffryn told me I was doing spells I had cast when I was a witch in my past life."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Uryuu said, attempting to comprehend the new information. "You're a witch?"

"Apparently!" Orihime exclaimed happily. "My witch-y name was Willow. How cool is that?"

"Willow…" Urahara whispered under his breath. "Willow…"

"What is it, Urahara-san?" Orihime asked.

A distant look was in Urahara's eyes as he slipped into the store room of his shop. "I know that name," his voice drifted out from the back room.

"Really?" Orihime looked skeptical. "It doesn't seem like a very common name."

Urahara returned with a large text in his hands. He flipped through the pages frantically, causing dust to rise in clouds from the pages that had heretofore been dormant.

"What is that book?" Ichigo asked.

"It's from the 46's archives. It's a record of all the witches who've passed through the Soul Society," the elder shinigami answered distractedly. "I had Ukitake-taichou send it to me when we discovered the possibility of magick."

Ichigo's brow furrowed in confusion. "I thought the 46 didn't care about what happened in Rukongai?"

"Normally they don't." Urahara continued his frantic search through the text. "But they view witches as a threat – ah! Here it is!"

"What?"

"'Willow Rosenburg,'" the shopkeeper read from the record.

"That's me!" Orihime shouted suddenly. Everyone turned to her surprised. "Well," she explained slightly embarrassed, "it sounds familiar. Plus, it sounds Jewish and I think I was Jewish."

"Okay…what does it say about her?" Uryuu asked, returning their attention to the task at hand and away from Orihime's outbursts.

"Nothing much, but…oh."

"What is it?" Anxiousness seized Orihime at Urahara's worried countenance.

Reading from the tome, Urahara said, "'Willow Rosenburg: execute upon entry into Soul Society.'"

Another wave of terror gripped those congregated. What could their friend have done to warrant a death sentence? What crime would've been so horrific to the Souls Society that they had to extinguish the perpetrator the moment she arrived?

Rukia shivered, the written commands eerily similar to Yamamoto-soutaichou's orders before they rescued Orihime from Hueco Mundo. Could he have known?

"There's also a date of execution," Urahara continued, breaking the female shinigami from her thoughts. "May 20, 2003." (2)

Uryuu turned to Orihime, worry, anxiety, and perhaps a hint of fear visible in his eyes. "That's your birthday, isn't it?"

Orihime gulped nervously and nodded.

"That doesn't make any sense," Rukia argued. "To be executed upon arrival in Soul Society she must've done something to anger the 46 during her time in the living world, but what could she have done?"

Urahara shrugged. "There's a note here, though. 'See volume TCX280363, page 189.' Let me contact Ukitake-taichou to get the book." Urahara quickly left the room.

With a blank, glazed look in her eyes, Orihime plopped in a chair.

"Inoue," Rukia said tentatively.

"What could I have done?" Orihime rhetorically asked her friend. "Was I evil?" Tears began falling from her watery gray eyes. "Was I evil?" Her breath hitched as more tears cascaded from her eyes.

Orihime buried her head in her hands as Rukia knelt next to her. "Inoue, I'm sure you did nothing wrong. Despite the Seireitei's views, the Central wasn't always just, and you heard what Urahara said: The 46 was threatened by witches. Maybe you were just powerful, and they feared you."

Orihime raised her tear-stained face to Rukia. "I don't want to be feared."

Rukia hugged her living friend tightly. "I don't fear you, Orihime. I promise. I'll never fear you." Rukia knew she was lying on some level. Of course she feared the girl who contained such raw, uncontrollable, and foreign power. She understood kidou. She knew zanpakutous. Magick was an admittedly new and frightening territory.

"Come in here!" Urahara's voice yelled from the adjacent room. Quickly Orihime wiped her tears from her face. Rukia smiled at the young woman and gave her shoulders a quick squeeze of comfort before both girls followed the boys into the room Urahara had called them to.

On a large screen, the group could see Ukitake-taichou and Kyouraku-taichou looking quite confused. Kyouraku held a book before him as he addressed the group. "TCX is the living world archives series. Why'd you need to look at those?"

"It's complicated," Urahara answered cryptically. "What is volume TCX280363?"

"Uh," Kyouraku examined the cover. "'_Warriors for the Powers that Be, Volume 363_.' Okay now I'm really confused."

"Turn to page 189," Urahara ordered.

"What's this about?" Ukitake asked, echoing his friend who was currently turning to the indicated page.

"Okay, here it is," Kyouraku said. "Let me see. It says, 'Willow Rosenburg, witch, Sunnydale, CA.' That's odd. That's all it has. The other entries have a lot more details."

"What are 'the Powers that Be'?" Uryuu asked.

"God, Allah, the Goddess, you know, whatever deity you worship," Kyouraku explained.

"So, Willow was a good witch then?" Orihime asked. "Fighting the good fight and all?"

"It seems so," Rukia said, smiling at her friend. Orihime grinned back.

Before Kyouraku or Ukitake could add another comment, Urahara asked them to send him the text then he swiftly cut contact with the Soul Society.

Orihime was elated. She wasn't evil. She was good actually. A warrior for good. Her smile practically consumed her face.

Urahara wasn't so pleased. Orihime was powerful; there was no doubt about that, but power corrupts. What did this bubbly girl do to warrant an execution?

_

* * *

_

Hueco Mundo

"Szayel has not returned," the Hinamori look-alike commented. Aizen nodded pensively. "She's getting stronger."

"How are you so sure it was her that stopped Szayel?"

The creature that resembled Hinamori grinned wickedly. "Because I know her. Apprehend her soon, or your defeat is inevitable."

* * *

(1) Do I even have to say it? The spell's from Buffy!

(2) I know that's not really her birthday, but it is in this fanfic!


End file.
